Killer In Luvvvvvv
by koolgirl95
Summary: Edward is assigned to Kill a certain Isabella Swan. How will Edward resist his attraction to her especially when she is so gorgeous and clueless? Is he in love? How will he hold back the murder? And will she find out what he was sent to do?-AH, E/B, R&R
1. Kill Her

**I don't own Twilight**

**1. KILL **_**Her**_

**EPOV**

I watched James with caution. He looked murderously angry with every word he spoke or rather yelled into his phone. "-damn Swan! Are you sure Laurent is dead?" he screamed. Laurent was dead. James' brother was dead.

He smashed his brand_ new _phone against the west wall. It shattered to bits.

He turned to look at me. I could barely make out his face. It was so dark. The only light in the room came from a Frisbee sized hole in the

wall. For a moment I was concerned for the safety of the dark mahogany antique, the table. I watched silently as he calmed himself. We were alone. He could do anything…..I took another deep breath to bring the nerves under control.

"Edward, I need you to do this job." He said his lips white. I froze. A _job_ meant murder. "Her! I need her dead!" he screamed, the murderous anger back in his eyes. I felt myself warming up to the idea of another task. James gave me only the most difficult tasks. A murder. Mmmmm! That involved a lot of technical planning. I smiled a small smile.

"Charlie Swan has been doing a lot lately. He needs to feel how I feel now…..The pain…Killing his daughter will set him back, probably pull him off us all together…" he said softly his eyes probing into every possible scenario. A possibility of failure. Of success. I could practically see him calculating in his eyes. He loved his idea, that was obvious but he was missing an important point.

James…killing his daughter will only add fuel to his anger. The grief will make him work harder. He will make himself free from pain or loss because in that moment he'll have nothing to lose." I said bringing my doubts to light. James nodded as though he had already thought of that.

"Yes….I suppose, but what about his other daughter?" he asked a cunning smile spreading across his face. I nodded understanding. Yes, that _would _help a lot. When the girl is killed Charlie will fear for the life of his other daughter…He would probably pull out of the case all together. That would be of great use to us.

"Tell me when. I am ready to do it." I said feeling my fingers tingling.

"Ahhhh….I would like you to start….today." he said glancing at me to catch my reaction. I wasn't scared or even worried. A girl was easy. Too easy. They were the easiest to kill.

"I'll do it."

….

I studied the photograph incessantly. I couldn't seem to take my eyes of it. The girl Isabella Swan was _very_ pretty but I was sure that looks wouldn't be enough to stop me.

I turned to the next page slowly. Her profile. She was interesting in her own way. But she was a girl after all. Girls were boring.

**888- Hurdle**

**Name: Isabella Marie Swan**

**Age: 22**

**D.O.B. : 13th September 1988**

**Education: Forks Elementary School, Forks High School, College of Forks.**

**Acquaintances (possible hurdles):**

**1. Alice Brandon: 21**

**2. Emmett McCarty: 22**

**3. Rosalie McCarty: 21 **

**4. Jasper Hale: 25**

**5. Angela Weber: 22**

**6. Michael Newton: 22**

…**.**

…**..**

And it went on. I couldn't believe that a person could know so many people. Wonderful. This would just make my case harder. The harder the better. I loved the challenge more than the actual murder. I glanced at the file again it was more about her likes, her dislikes, her favorites, her passions, etc. Not important. These had to be found out. I closed the file admiring the deep red color before placing it in my backpack. Killing wasn't fun. I didn't like murders. I usually stuck to the neatest way of killing and the fastest. A simple slit to the throat. That was easy. I did not like gruesome blood filled kills. That was disgusting. I usually ensured that not even a drop of blood from the victim fell off the victim.

I closed my eyes and leaned back. Mmmmm. I missed my piano. I know I am a killer and I play the piano, but honestly I don't mind. I love music. I enjoy music and James actually shipped a piano from England for me to play in the lair. He just did that to ensure I didn't leave but I wasn't complaining.

This was not going to be a long flight from what I know…..

…..

I walked off the plane. It was drizzling. I was supposed to be Isabella's roommate. I scanned the crowd for any sign of the girl in the picture.

"Excuse me…..?" a deep voice asked form behind me. I turned around. A huge guy, technically a wall of muscle was standing in front pf me. Was he going to kill me? For a moment I froze but then I realized if he was then he would have done that by now…

'Are you Edward Cullen?" he asked his hazel eyes twinkling. I nodded since my jaw was too rigid for me to speak.

"Great! Bella couldn't come….her kindergarteners wanted her at school today. But she'll be home by the time we get there." He said before picking up my second suitcase and heading off. I followed him to a giant jeep.

"I'm Emmett by the way." He said fitting everything in. I nodded.

Kindergarteners? Was she a teacher or did she have children? Oh and this guy was Emmett McCarty. He didn't look like a hurdle to me. He was more of a big but friendly person. I knew that if provoked he would get angry and badly angry too.

"So how do you know Isabella?" I asked him trying to make conversation. I needed to know anyway.

"Best friends since first grade." He said as though that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh okay"

"How come you're _here_?" he asked me suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean why did you decide to come her of all place in the world? Forks isn't the best place to live in especially not for people who come from other places…" he trailed off but glanced at me before turning back to the road.

"Oh…well, I wanted to come here. I guess I love the rain. The cold too. One of my friends told me of the house and the person who was looking for a roommate….and here I am." I said smiling a tiny bit.

He looked at me like I was crazy. "You like the cold and the wet?" he let out a long laugh.

"Bella hates the cold and the wet." But she loves Forks I thought to myself. I had seen that on her file. Well another mystery.

I acted through the rest of the trip but most of it was the real me. Emmett was nice. If I hadn't been planning to kill his BFF I would have been his friend.

We talked a lot. He was married for two years now but his wife couldn't have any children. He was born in Forks and he had lived here all his life. He had been to London, L.A., Tokyo, India, Nigeria, and many more places. But by far he though home was Forks. Emmett was on the whole a nice, friendly, protective person. He loved to be the best. He loved to travel. He was just a giant of man but a child at heart.

I found out a lot about him through the trip of about an hour.

…..

.

"Bella! We're here but I have to go! Rose wants me home early! Love you!" he yelled before jogging off to his jeep. Wow! That guy was very happy. I could almost feel the happy vibes coming off him.

I turned to observe the house. It had two stories. Not bad… The paint was a cream on cream. Nice taste. The door opened and I was struck speechless. Bella was _gorgeous_! Her eyes were the deep rich chocolate brown. I almost got lost in them, her skin was a creamy rich ivory alabaster mix. I wanted so badly to put my hand out and touch her. Her hair was a thick brown mahogany reaching mid waist. When I saw what she was wearing I almost blushed. She was dressed in a camisole and tiny, really tiny shorts that exposed her long white legs clearly.

"Hi…I'm Isabella, but call me Bella, I don't usually respond to Isabella…." She said smiling. Smiling, flashing her pearly white teeth at me. I almost swooned. Where was Edward the man? He had run off leaving Edward the woman behind.

"Uh….Hey, Excuse me…Yoohoo! Are you in there?" she asked in her wonderful bell like voice…oh my…She was waving her soft petite hands in front of my face. Wow!

"HELLO!" she said loudly and I pulled out of my trance. I ran a hand through my hair. Great! I had made an idiot of myself on her doorstep.

"Uh….sorry…..I'm Edward." I said smiling sheepishly. She giggled. I tried not to go crazy for that too.

"Come on in. I'll show you your room." She said pulling my wrist. I could feel the electricity flowing through my veins. What was that?

"So you like?" she asked me expectantly. I shook myself and looked at my room. Wow! The room was huge! The bed looked sooooo comfy that I felt like lying on it immediately….with her. The bathroom was off to the side. There were big French windows that lead out into the garden. Definitely my style.

"I love" I said smiling at her. Her eyes looked excited.

"Thank god! I hate living alone over here. Its too big for me. At first Emmett crashed here with me but then they got married and got a new place and anyway I do not like listening to their moans and groans at night" she said shuddering. I laughed.

"So freshen up and come down we can go out for dinner or if you want I can cook." She said turning to leave but she just completed the circle and looked at me again.

"Oh by the way your room doesn't have hot water…I didn't think of that before. So feel free to use mine." She said blushing. I felt really uncomfortable in my pants now. God she was good…..

'Okay" I said smiling.

She turned to leave and stumbled over nothing. I saw her catch herself on the door. She blushed.

….

I took a cold shower in my bathroom and changed into a pair of blue jeans and a white button up. I ran a comb through my unruly bronze hair. Okay…..now I was ready. I turned and my eyes fell upon my backpack. The one that contained the red file. The victim file.

Bella's file. Oh my god….Isabella, Bella, the angel was my subject. Shit!

I was going to have to kill her.

**A/N: So yeah this story has been running in the back of my mind for a long time now. I wrote it all down on paper. I kept putting it off because I felt I would be biting off more than I could chew but I finally decided to bring it into fanfiction. All I have to do is just copy from my notebook. Cool right? I suppose but to be honest I just keep adding more stuff when I type it in. **

**PLEASE READ THIS!**

**Please tell me if this is worth continuing or in my case typing up…I need to know. Please review and rate me 0-10. I like ratings because they help me know what level I am in and what level I should aim for. Please be frank with the ratings and all of you should rate. It is important. Even those who don't have an account. **

**Thanks for reading this…:) **


	2. Attached

**I don't own Twilight**

**2. Attached**

**EPOV**

"Not a chance!" she said waving the ladle away from me. I groaned.

"Come on Bella! Please!" I said trying to reach it. Mmmmm! The smell was so good. She moved back and hid it behind her back. Torture! She had made me wait for two whole hours and finally when she was done she was refusing to give me a taste of the gravy. I groaned again and my stomach grumbled along with me. I was just so hungry.

She shook her head and grinned evilly. I ran a frustrated hand through my hair. "Okay….Fine….Hmph" I huffed before leaning back onto the long counter. She smiled a little before leaning on the table about three feet away from me.

"You'll have it, don't get too upset. The flavors need to seep in otherwise there is no point in taking so much effort on the dish." She said placing both her hands on the table supporting herself. I eyed the lid longingly. How much I would love ripping that lid off and eating the food inside up! She saw my longing glance and chuckled. "What's so wrong about waiting? It only tastes better"

I shook my head. I already tried talking her out of the 'setting' but she stoutly refused and said that it would have to set and only then could we eat. So stubborn and yet so cute.

"So, Edward, tell me something about yourself" she said looking up at me. I smiled at her size. So tiny, compared to me. SO soft, and petite- stop that Edward.

"Like what?" I asked surprised. What did she mean by saying 'tell me something about yourself.'

She rolled her eyes, "Okay. I'll ask the questions. Why did you come here?"

I froze. My chest almost hurt. How could I answer that without lying? I took a deep breath to steady my racing heart.

"I dunno. I guess I like traveling…" I said trying to keep it as close to the truth as possible. I hated lying…to her. She looked at me frowning.

"You have seriously bad taste."

I raised an eyebrow at her. What did she mean by that?

"So you traveled to _Forks_ of all places in the world?" She asked incredulously. I shrugged. Even Emmett had reacted like that. Was Forks really that bad?

"Come on! Really? Isn't there better? You picked _Forks_ out of every other choice you had?" her voice seemed doubtful at the same time it was teasing. I stifled a chuckle at her indignant face.

"Now why are you getting annoyed?" I asked her. She blushed. Oh that color was so beautiful.

"Because…you aren't giving me a reason or an answer to my question." She said glaring at me a little. I chuckled this time. She was so cute.

"I dunno…I've been everywhere except the poles and here." I said watching for her reaction. Her eyes widened considerably and her jaw fell. I laughed at the expression she had on.

"Cool! I mean that's just….cool!" she said her eyes dreamy. I could tell that she was dreaming of the place she wanted to go to. I shrugged again. Each of those trips had been made for a purpose other than sightseeing. She didn't have to know that, did she?

"Do you have pictures?" she asked running a hand through her hair. I shook my head. If I _had_ snapped a few photos they would have been of dead bodies just the moment they realize what they have gotten into. Some looked so scary that we had to go to the therapist in the lair. I never had to go there, even once. I have a strong mind and a strong resistance…..until now.

"That's too bad. I rarely get to go. No scratch that. I _never _get to go." She said frowning again. I felt like reaching out and softening the frown out. Frowns did not become her. Her beautiful skin looked beautiful without frown on it. She was so cute….Shut up Edward! You are a killer! Not a love crazed teen!

"What do you do?" she asked suddenly. I looked at her and saw her studying me intently.

"I compose." Her eyes widened.

"Really? For movies or for albums or something?" she asked her eyes huge. I chuckled again.

"Both." I said simply, "It's no big deal" She glared at me.

"You have got to be kidding me. You have the most exciting job ever and you think it's no big deal?" she asked throwing her arms up. I gasped at the pale skin that movement exposed. Her smooth, creamy stomach. I stared. So beautiful. Never have I ever come across such pretty skin. I wanted so badly to touch her now. Then she put her arms back down and that closed up my wonderful view.

I sighed. She was watching me curiously. I _was _behaving like an idiot. Gasping and sighing for no apparent reason. But she didn't know what she was doing to me. What she could do to me…

She was right about the exciting part. The planning, the execution of the plan, the stealth, all that was exciting but the actual killing was terrible. I hated it but it didn't affect me like it affected others. Many others who worked under James had to go for 6months of therapy. I never had to go. I loved the planning. I was good at it. The killing was disgusting…to me at least. But she didn't know of my true profession and I would make sure that she never finds out.

"It's fine. Things cease to be exciting when you do them all your life." This was a blatant lie. Music was never boring to me. I could compose day and night and not get even a bit tired.

She smiled at me and again I felt like flying.

'So what do you do? Emmett told me something about kindergarteners…" I said prompting her to speak about herself. Her life was normal. So interesting yet normal.

"Yeah, I do part time there and then I work at a bookstore. I guess I love children and hence the teaching job and I _love _books. My friend tries to get me to go shopping with her on school days and it takes me ages trying to get out of her plan." She said looking scared at whatever memory was running through her head.

"Tell me about that incident please….." I said smiling. She raised an eyebrow at me.

"The one that you are remembering now….." I said. She blushed.

"Right…..Well my friend Alice, is a shopaholic. She loves buying stuff. Stuff that is absolutely unnecessary. It's a good thing that her parents are well off or else they would have been living on the roads by now." She said shaking her head.

"Bella you are putting off the incident…." I pointed out and she blushed.

"Oh well…You see on one particular day, Alice decided to shop with me when I was teaching at school. She came to my class and dragged me out, literally." She looked horrified at that, "And then when we went got to the mall my teaching time was already done. So I tried not to grumble about it. She is really fast, I am fast but really clumsy. The elevator was full and she was impatient. She decided to run up the stairs pulling me along. Pulling me up the stairs is not a very clever thing to do. And I tripped and she is really tiny so I pulled her along with me. She came out unscathed but I got this big bump on my forehead and all the clothes in the bags had tumbled out all over the stairs" she said blushing wildly now. I didn't find this really scary.

"There's more?" I asked her knowing that the answer would be yes.

"She got up and started yelling at me. I didn't know what to do. And then this really creepy old fellow came along and he was staring at us while we argued. I didn't notice him until he talked."

I nodded prompting her to go on.

"He said something along the lines of 'Girls these days! They can't wait to try everything on. Get a room! Trying on everything on the stairs. THE STAIRS ARE FOR THE PUBLIC. YOU SHOULD GO TO A CHANGING ROOM. Thank goodness my son isn't here' and we realized that he was mumbling about us." She said blushing deeply now.

"What's so embarrassing about that?" I asked not even finding the smallest thing to be embarrassed at.

"You have no idea. There were _Victoria's Secret _stuff in the bags and all of it had tumbled out. God that was terrible. Nowadays I generally avoid shopping with Alice."

I laughed. Hard. That was funny. All I could see in my mind's eye was Bella draped with lingerie. She looked funny. Really funny. As long as she was draped in it and not wearing any of it I was fine.

"I told you so." She said smirking at me. I didn't stop laughing until I got the wonderful smell of the gravy. Mmmmmm! I wiped the tears running down my cheeks and straightened up. Bella was eyeing me doubtfully.

"What?" I asked her.

"Just making sure Giggleward doesn't make another appearance." She said before picking the vessel off the stove and keeping it on the table. I huffed. Giggleward? What kind of name was that?

She just smiled and laid the table.

….

"You're serious?" she asked me. I nodded. Never had I eaten this kind of 'gravied' and spiced chicken before. It smelt good. Bella was watching me with a smirk.

"Where is the knife or even a fork will do." I said looking up at her.

She laughed. "You don't eat like that. Put your hand in there and lift it to your mouth." She showed me how and I watched entranced. How sexy was that! Whoa! Where did _that _come from? I should probably stick to cute and beautiful.

"I don't think I can" I said doubtfully. She could pull off gravy covered hands sexily but I doubt I could.

"Come on! Anyone can. It's the simplest thing in the world." She said winking at me.

Okay here goes…..

…..

"That was really nice, Bella" I told her as I washed the dishes and she dried them. She smiled a little. "Thanks, Edward. Emmett loves it too. If he ever catches you asking for a knife or a fork he will never let you forget it."

She started saying something but I didn't or couldn't listen. I, Edward Cullen, the professional killer, am standing in my victim's (a really cute victim that) house, doing the dishes. How weird it should have felt. But all I felt was happiness.

"-and he wasn't there after all" she said and then threw a sideways at me. Her mouth pulled down.

"You're not listening are you?" she asked looking hurt. I felt guilty.

"It's not that. I'm just really tired out. Long flight you know….." I said looking at her sideways. Her shoulders slumped.

"Oh my god Edward! You don't have to do this really. You must be tired and after all you are a guest…. For the first three or four days at least. Please go and rest. How insensitive of me! I can't believe I made you do this! How stupid-"

"Bella…..-"

"-can I be. I am lacking hospitality I tell you. You probably think I am mean and rude. Oh dear. I should have known. You being the gentleman you are…..You will never tell me if you are tired will you? How silly-"

"Bella-"

"-of me. Please forgive me. Go get comfy. I am losing my touch. So bad. It's just that the only people who do com here are my best friends and I kinda forgot that you aren't one of them. I put you through-"

"BELLA!"

She froze and stared at me. I smiled at her.

"The dishes are done. Now you can stop worrying. Anyway don't think that doing all this is troubling me. I told you I like traveling and the tiredness is just one of the minuses that I have to deal with okay?" I said drying my hands.

She blushed. I groaned. I almost took her there. So beautiful and soft and angelic.

"I feel tired. Really sleepy. Good night" I said leaving abruptly. My jeans were uncomfortable…again. And these were supposed to be loose. I was being really rude but I couldn't have done anything else. Her brown eyes were enough to….you know…..

…

"Hello?" I asked into the phone knowing fully well who it was.

'Edward…" he said snidely into the phone. I groaned inwardly. I always hated his 'check-up' calls as he called them. He did this mainly to check whether we were on our way to getting cold feet.

"James, you want something?" I asked shortly.

"Now Edward, is everything going fine?" he asked.

"Yeah. Why do you want to know?" I asked him irritably. He chuckled.

"Because I _care _for you. You are my prized possession after all." He said. He cared my foot! The only thing he cared about was us not handing him over to the authorities. I snorted.

"Yeah right. James everything is good. The girl is here and I am sure that I can do this. I only need more time. The girl's friends seem to be a big group. I have to use their cover. So it might take some time." I held my breath waiting for him to lash out at me.

"That's fine. But I want no traces. Remember. You are the cleanest. Remember no traces." He said and the line went dead. Great! Why did this have to happen to me?

I let out a kind of agonized cry.

"Edward?" Bella's voice called timidly from the other side of the door. I stiffened. Why was she scared?

"Yeah…..come in…." I said softly. Or at least I think I said it softly.

The door opened slowly and Bella entered. She looked _terrified._ Her eyes searched mine for any sign of disturbance or anger. I tried to look calm.

"I'm sorry." She said. I froze.

"Why are you sorry?" I asked her getting off the bed and walked over to her. She looked up at me and back down to her entwined fingers.

"You ran off like that and…well…..I thought that it was because of me. I'm sorry if I said something wrong or hurt you in anyway. I smiled at her.

"Bella…It's not because of you. I'm just in trouble at…work." I said taking her clasped hands in mine.

"Okay then. If you say so." She said then she looked at me suspiciously, "then why did you cry like a tortured animal just a few minutes ago?"

"Uh…well…the same problem. My… boss"- I grimaced when I called James 'boss'- "said something that sort of irritated me and I don't want to…lose my job by yelling at him. So I stuck to yelling after he had hung up."

Bella looked at me smiling.

"Okay then. I sure hope that you don't lose your job." She said before opening the door.

She held the knob and turned to face me.

"Edward I-" and then suddenly she was hugging me. I froze. But I was more focused on how her body fit against mine. I hugged her back. Then she released me and revealed her red face, her _cute _red face.

"Edward, thanks for being my roommate or technically 'housemmate'. Its nice having someone other than me living here. And I am really really glad that you're here." She said before turning around and leaving. I smiled widely. Wow. The hug was so unexpected. She had brought _me_ out of one of my moods. That _was_ something.

I took off my shirt and jeans and put on shorts. I sank into the bed after turning out the lights. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander. I had always had a lot of emptiness swirling inside me and Bella filled the emptiness, the void. I smiled at her name. The only girl who had me captivated. Who made me stutter wordlessly, who made me want to sing.

Sleep would come…eventually. But I was still faced by the appalling truth. _I _was going to have to end her life.

I shut my eyes and didn't let the truth sink in.

What was I going to do…

**A/N: So how was it? Good enough? Remember…..RATE! Thanks to those who reviewed and to those who favorited my story. Really….Please give me your suggestions. Constructive criticism is most welcome. If there are any spelling mistakes please just tell me where you spotted them. I make many errors but I only see them when I read the chapter for the tenth time. If at all you find any tell me. Thanks for reading.**

**:) **


	3. A Bad Beginning To A Good Day

**I don't own Twilight**

**3. A bad beginning to a good day**

**EPOV**

_I turned the corner and saw her cowering near the wall. Her eyes were open in terror. I tried to stop. There was no way I was going to kill her. No way. She ducked under the table and ran out. I sighed in relief but my body seemed to follow her, having a mind of its own. I tried to pull back. There had to be a stop button somewhere. I looked at my hand and saw a huge knife. Oh no! I had come prepared. _

_James was laughing. I could practically hear his derisive laughter. I felt like ripping his throat. Fool! The laughing stopped. I could hear her soft foot steps crunching on the gravel. It was cold. For a fraction of a second I was concerned for her safety. She was wearing only a flimsy camisole and boyshorts. Nothing warm._

_Her pace quickened. I didn't struggle to keep up. We were almost inside the forest by her house. I didn't bother struggling against myself now. It was useless. It wouldn't work. She started running. I felt my body keep pace without even moving a little faster. I looked at the knife again and my heart was filled with terror. I was going to kill her. _

_It had to be that way. I tried throwing the knife but it never seemed to leave my hand. I was a killer. I was cold blooded. I had no feelings. But all this seemed like a load of crap to me. So if I had feelings I was not a killer? Wasn't that stupid? _

"_Edward! Please no!" she screamed and I froze. She was sprawled on the forest floor. Her leg was bleeding. Her skin was glistening in the moonlight. _

"_I have no choice…."_

_A scream echoed….A single long drawn, blood curdling scream. I pulled my knife out of her pale, lifeless body…._

"_NOO! Bella!"_

"Edward…"

"_Bella! Please! Oh god! I'm sorry!"_

"Edward…It's okay, just a nightmare. You're fine…" a soft comforting voice said from my right. Hands soothed me with feather- like touches.I jerked awake. I was feeling so hot.

"Edward, you're okay…" Bella whispered running her hand through my hair. I closed my eyes and shivered.

"You are drenched…" she muttered and suddenly she started wiping my face and chest with a towel. I blushed slightly. Her right hand remained in my hair while her left did the drying.

I felt embarrassed that she had to see me like this. But she didn't seem to mind in the least. Her lovely brown eyes never left mine. I had never ever had such problems. But this girl was making such big differences in just a day.

"Tell me about it…." She prompted. I shook my head quickly.

"It seriously helps….."

"I…don't remember…" lied. I couldn't tell her. She wouldn't understand why it scared me so badly.

"That does happen a lot. I usually try to forget my nightmares." She said laughing lightly. Her voice calmed me.

I looked at her fully now. She seemed to have jumped out straight from bed. Her hair resembled a haystack and even though it wasn't necessarily the best comparison the look suited her well. She looked gorgeous.

"What happened?" I asked her as she rubbed her hand carefully on my shoulder. I shivered again. Wow!

"You were shouting, really loudly but I couldn't make out what you were saying. I came here and saw you thrashing about and you looked like you were crying. I called you for almost ten minutes before you calmed down." She said her hands never leaving me. I blushed at the crying part. I have never blushed so much in my life.

"I'm sorry…" I said ashamed.

She smiled and my heart fluttered.

"Hey, its okay. I remember Emmett coming up to my room almost every night to calm me down. I had nightmares after I watched this really scary movie and they came for nearly a month." She said running her hands through my hair slowly now.

I sighed.

"You shouldn't have come. I would have calmed down eventually…"

"Hey, it's no big deal. I always get up at-" she glanced at the clock and froze.

"3.30 a.m.?" I prompted. She blushed now.

"No…..Not really. What I meant was that I get up at any time in the night. I don't mind."

"Okay, now go sleep. I can take care of myself." I said getting up and leading her outside by the _hand._ I felt really happy that she hadn't pushed my hand away.

We went to her bedroom door.

"Good night Isabella…or should I say good _morning_?" I asked chuckling at the blush that colored her cheeks. She went inside and shut the door but I was pretty sure that I heard a muffled squeal or a giggle. I chuckled again. Pretty Bella…

I hummed to myself as I returned to bed. The poor bed was in a terrible condition. All the sheets were twisted and tangled and I had managed to knock off the bedside lamp.

Sleep didn't come quickly. Instead I kept pondered over my feelings for Bella. I liked her…a lot. But that didn't change my position or my job in the slightest. I finally gave up trying to sleep and got up to take a shower.

The cold shower did me a lot of good. All the sweat and stickiness was washed off. My familiar body soap filled me with a sense of calm and security.

I turned out the lights and wrapped a towel firmly around me. I slipped into a pair of comfy jeans and T-shirt knowing full well that I was not going to sleep.

I lay down on the couch and stared at the stars through the window. All I could think of was about the one person who could change my demeanor so completely. The one person who had me so completely wrapped around their finger. The one person whom I was going to have to kill with a great deal of hesitation.

…

I opened my eyes and stretched. There was no sun. So I had slept after all. The sky was blocked from view by a thick layer of rain clouds. I ran a hand through my hair before I pulled myself out of the room and in the direction of the voices that had woken me up.

"-are you sure? He might not want to, Al" Bella said sounding doubtful.

"Are you kidding? He will say yes. I can feel it." A soprano voice called out. I stood in the doorway frozen. I mentally went through the long list of friends that she had. There were so many people in there.

"Edward, hi…" Bella said blushing for no apparent reason. I smiled at her widely. She definitely made my day.

All of a sudden I was almost bowled over by someone or something. A small black haired doll wrapped her hands around me and squeezed me to death. I patted her awkwardly on her back. She hardly came up to my waist! Her spiky hair stood up in every direction possible and it didn't escape my notice that her skin was really pale too. What was with the people in Forks and pale skin?

"I'm Mary Alice Brandon, but everyone calls me Alice…" she said smiling so widely that _my _cheeks hurt. I smiled at her.

"I'm Edward Anthony Cullen." I said feeling the need to give her my middle name.

"I know!" she squealed. I looked at Bella questioningly. She was biting back laughter with great difficulty.

She beckoned me over. I went willingly. Who was I to deny her her wishes? She smiled at me and then pushed me onto a chair. I stared at the omelet in front of me. Mmmmm!

"Thanks…." I said smiling at her. She smiled back.

"Sooooo…." Alice said positioning herself on the other side of the table facing me. Even in stillness her body seemed to be bouncing. So much energy….

"So what?" I asked her.

"Well, I was wondering whether you would like to come for a pool party…at my house. But Bella here insisted that she asked you because you might be tired." She said with an annoyed glance in Bella's direction. Bella shrugged.

"I would love to." I said smiling at the way Alice's eyes lit up.

"Yay! I knew it! Okay, so you and Bella can come over at about 6? Yeah…..That's good. And that way you can get to know all the others too." She said jumping up and down in delight.

"Okay….We'll do that." I said swallowing hard. Bella looked so gorgeous when she frowned.

"Okay…Now I have to head out. Bella you'd better wear that sexy blue bikini. I don't want a one piece, please. Last time I made the biggest mistake of my life letting you decide on your own…" She said before dancing outside. I looked at Bella and she was blushing.

"Sexy blue bikini?" I asked Bella with a raised eyebrow. She blushed.

"I bought it last year as a result of a persistent Alice. I usually don't wear it….." she said joining me on the table.

"You should wear it….." I said nodding in agreement.

"You haven't even seen it….." she said scowling.

"Anything looks good on you." I said smiling at the blush coloring her cheeks. Wow! Anything I said seemed to make her blush.

"Oh quit the flattering please…." She said swatting my shoulder. I smiled.

"Okay."

She smiled back at me brilliantly.

**BPOV**

He was looking at me strangely. I didn't mind. But the feeling was unusual.

His eyes suddenly clouded over and he started shifting about on the chair. Okay…..? He was gorgeous. A human Adonis. There were no words in the English dictionary to describe him. His eyes, his marble skin, his perfectly toned body. Wow! These were enough to make any girl swoon.

I tried to keep my eyes off him. He was so good looking.

"Are you okay?" I asked him after a few minutes of silence.

He didn't answer. I could feel something. He seemed to feel it too.

"Yeah….I'm fine…." He said running his hand through his hair. Through his gorgeous bronze hair. I felt my breathing quicken. He looked so appealing now. His ruffled hair, his green eyes….Oh my!

"Bella? You seem to be having a problem there…." He said getting up and joining me at the counter. I shivered at our close proximity. My breathing was so fast now I felt like I had been for a run and back. His right arm brushed against mine now. I shivered imperceptibly.

"Here let me help you…." He said reaching around me and grabbing the cutting board. In that process his hand brushed against my back. I shivered again.

"Okay…so what are we making?" he asked surveying the veggies I had laid out.

"Uh…salad?" I said still incoherent. He smiled.

"Cool. I am a great cook." He said smiling at me his eyes twinkling. I began to calm down the moment the familiar twinkling came back into his eyes.

"Then you must be a great chopper too?" I asked waving the knife in front of him. He froze and his eyes darkened. His bright emerald eyes were almost black now.

"Edward, are you okay?" I asked standing on my toes and looking into his eyes. He didn't seem to register what I was saying.

I held his shoulders for support and the moment I touched him he relaxed, almost instantaneously. I don't want to sound swollen headed but I am proud that I had that kind of effect on him.

"Yeah…I'm fine….." he said his eyes returning to their normal color. I watched him as he turned around and started chopping. He did chop well…I turned around quickly so that he would not catch me ogling at him.

"You have no idea what you've signed us up for…" I said shaking my head and shuddering at the thought of Alice and parties.

He looked at me puzzled. "You'll probably see half or more than that of Forks there…." His mouth formed an 'o', he looked so cute when he did that…

"Don't worry…I'll be there to protect you from drooling girls." I said chuckling as his eyes scrunched up.

"I'll be counting on you to protect me." He said smiling crookedly. Oh my! My heart fluttered.

"You have no idea how the girls here are… Anything new and they jump at it."

He smiled slightly now.

"But I guess you're used to that…"

"What do you mean?"

"The looks, swooning girls, jealous looks from guys, etcetera, etcetera…."

"Really? Then you should be used to it too….."

I froze. What was he implying? That I was beautiful or that he was ugly…Both were equally stupid.

"Never mind."

He grinned again.

…

"Whoa….you're splashing water at me…." He yelled from the other side of the small garden. I giggled but didn't stop. We were _supposed _to be watering the garden but most of the water was just flying through the air and hitting us instead.

"So that's what you're doing you little devil…." He said and before I knew it his arms were around me and the pipe was gone from me. A blast of icy cold water hit me hard on the head and within a few minutes I was wet. I barely felt the cold though. The fact that he was holding me, up in the air like that kept me occupied.

"Ha…..How's that?" he asked setting me back down. I frowned slightly. Now was a good time to show him my acting skills.

"How could you Edward?" I said feigning hurt.

His eyes widened.

"I'm all drenched. I can't believe you'd do this to me. I am so not talking to you." I said turning around and pretending to stomp my way through the remaining few yards.

"Bella….I'm sorry. I didn't know that you'd react so strongly!" he said his voice pleading. I stifled a chuckle.

"No. You're not sorry. You're just saying that for the sake of saying it. I thought you were a gentleman until you displayed all this 'hooliganish' behavior" I said shortly biting back giggles the entire time.

He turned me around so that I was facing him and looked me in the eyes. I stared at him open-mouthed. Then he brought his hand out and in his hand was …..the pipe. I frowned.

"I give this honored pipe to Isabella Swan as a token of apology and I ask her to attack me with it." He said his eyes twinkling. He had seriously bought my terrible acting? I giggled taking it from him and before I turned it on I looked at him grinning from ear to ear.

"Gotcha."

His face was the mask of shock and then he composed himself.

I giggled at the way his eyes locked on the pipe and then the water shot out hitting him square in the face. He let out an 'oof' before running.

Suddenly he was gone. I had been so happy at my victory that I had forgotten to keep an eye on him. I scanned the garden again. Where was he?

"Bella?" His velvety voice said from behind me. I sucked in a shocked breath. "Looking for someone?" he asked his cool breath blowing on my ear. I shivered.

I was suddenly flipped around. His emerald eyes looked into mine and I started breathing heavily. Wow! I shivered as his hand clasped my waist slowly and yet so…so tenderly. I breathed out as he pulled me close to him.

I smiled a tiny bit. Then….a cold jet of water hit me from behind. I squealed.

"Cheater!" I said struggling to get out of his arms. He chuckled and then laughed.

"Not my fault you're so easily distracted." He said laughing hard. I laughed with him.

After a good fifteen minutes of water fighting I shut the pipe off and turned to him. He was eyeing my clothing with a wild look in his eyes. I looked down and saw that my white T-shirt was transparent. Okay….awkward.

"Come on… We still have to get to Alice's party" I said tugging on his arms. He nodded mutely.

"Edward!" I said getting irritated that he just stood there while we were getting late.

He shook himself and smiled. I nodded.

"I believe we have a party to go to." He said before walking inside as though I was the one who had been standing unresponsively the whole time. I smiled. How sweet was that?

"Wear that blue _sexy _bikini…." His voice called out as I made my way to my room. I blushed. I will kill Alice!

**A/N: So how was it? I loved this chapter myself. I got quite a few reviews and so I'm really happy. Thanks for reviewing but please remember to RATE. It's important. If you don't want to then its fine. **

**So give me your suggestions to improve my story and also tell me if I have gone wrong somewhere. By the way if I do write of or about any place they go to…it's made up. **

**Please review. Thanks to all those who have favorited or reviewed or even put it on story alert.**

**Love you all**

**:) **


	4. Pool Party? Nah Pool Chemistry's Better

**I don't own Twilight**

**4. Pool party? Nah. Pool Chemistry's better**

**EPOV**

I waited at the bottom of the stairs for Bella. I was already in my swimming trunks. Lucky I had brought it…I was wearing a thin white button up on top.

"Bella! We're getting late…." I called her glancing at the clock. We hardly had a few minutes left.

"Coming!" she called from upstairs. I chuckled as I heard her door opening and a crash.

"Are you alright?" I asked preparing to run up the stairs. Another clatter followed and I ran up this time.

"What are you doing there?" I asked a blushing Bella who was currently sprawled on the floor. Around her there were books of all types and I realized that she had crashed into the mini book shelf and had knocked it over in the process.

I stretched a hand out to her and pulled her up. She was blushing furiously. "This happen a lot?" I asked her playfully. She just turned and walked downstairs. Okay…?

…..

"No…." she said sternly. I looked at the truck sadly. She was going to drive and she wouldn't consider letting me drive. She had a fair point though. I had no idea where Alice lived. "Get in!" she said and I realized that she had already got in.

I slammed the door of the truck forcefully and it shut with a loud crash.

"You seriously need a _car_." I said eyeing the inside of the truck warily. It looked like it would fall apart at the lightest touch. She frowned at me. This definitely didn't come under my list of cars.

'Hey! Its still good. And it runs well too." She said starting up the truck. The roar was deafening. Not the near silence of my Volvo. I flinched as the truck started to move slowly, _really _slowly. Oh dear. Not what I wanted. I decided to focus on the only thing about or rather in the truck that interested me. Bella.

I leaned back and sneaked a glance at Bella. I had been trying to keep my mind off her body and I had succeeded until now. Her white eyelet lace top was great with her skin and her denim shorts looked so cute but my mind was not on those right now. I was imagining the sexy blue bikini on her. And wow did I need a shower now. I shifted imperceptibly. I so didn't want her to see. That would be embarrassing. But she would have to be proud. She is gorgeous.

"Bella?" I asked after almost twenty minutes of silence.

"Hmm?"

"How much longer?" I asked looking at my watch. It was almost 6.30. Not good. In my job we were always required to be on time. And hence even a minute out of schedule was terrible. And here I was almost half an hour late. I tried to get adjusted to becoming late a lot but it never worked. This was going to be tough. Being late wasn't in my 'normal person' outline. I'd have to work on that.

"Another ten minutes maybe." She said not taking her eyes off the road. She looked so serious that I wanted to kiss her. Oh man! Where did that come from? I looked at her now. I couldn't keep my eyes off her. Her curves her graceful features, her long brown hair that called to me ever so loudly. It seemed like her hair was saying, 'Edward! Oh Edward! Come and bury yourself in me!' Awkward and weird but I didn't mind I just stared at her.

She was so beautiful. So soft and light. I remembered her shirt from the afternoon. Wet and _transparent. _I shuddered slightly at that. Bella was so sexy then. I had almost drowned in my desire for her. Thank god she had called out in time. I let my eyes wander. I felt like a pervert but I couldn't help it. Not when a goddess was sitting beside me. Her face was scrunched up in concentration and I imagined holding her, like I had this afternoon. This would _not_ help me with my effort to control…..well…..control _desire._

I was elated that she reacted like that to me. She was frozen and her heart beat had been so fast. She was attracted to me and I knew that even if it wasn't as much as I was to her. I stared and stared the whole ride long. She was just too beautiful to ignore, more beautiful than the beautiful landscapes and trees outside. Watching wasn't boring and I had nothing else to do.

"Edward?" she asked….from my side. I jumped. When did she get out? I jumped out of the dilapidated truck enthusiastically. She was frowning. Her eyes ran over her truck once before she picked up her black bag.

"What's up?" I asked her knowing full well that it would irritate her. But instead she giggled. I looked at her confused. Her eyes were dancing even though she wasn't. She was just so…..so unexpected. Her actions, her reactions, her ideas, her views were all a complete contrast to what I thought they were. Her mind was closed and I was determined to make her open up to me.

"Come on. Alice's pool is _huge."_ She said pulling me inside by hand. I studied the house in wonder. It was huge too. Almost a mansion. I looked at Bella. She was watching me smiling. I turned my eyes back to the house and then back to her.

"Beautiful right?" she asked. I shrugged. "Not with you standing here. That house looks like a hut with you here…" I muttered under my breath. She looked at me confused.

"I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch that." She said looking puzzled.

I shrugged. "Nothing important. So lead the way." I said smiling at her.

"Come on. The pool's that way." She said pulling me along. She was really excited for a girl who didn't even want to go to the party in the first place. I followed her lead. I could hear people's voices from somewhere to the right. Maybe some 20 people. Not too many. I could hear Emmett's guffaw. Thank go- no I can't thank god, god will hate me, I killed his children, thank 'something' that I knew someone here.

"WOW!" I exclaimed. The pool was huge! I was right about the 20 people part. There were approximately 15-20 people. The main building was away from it. The pool was in a secluded garden kind of place and there were showers on every corner. Nice…

"Bella!" a familiar voice called out. I didn't have to look to know who that was.

"Emmett!" she squealed equally excitedly. I watched as he took her into his arms and squeezed her. They were so cute. Like brothers and sisters. I looked around and saw a strawberry blond and a plain blond girl. There was a blond guy who looked like he was in pain and then there was a russet skinned guy and a few who looked like him. There were quite a few people.

"Guys this is Edward." Bella said gesturing to me. I nodded trying to look amiable. Emmett smiled at me and grinned wickedly. I smiled back. The russet skinned guy watched me with no reaction; he looked like he was _studying _me. I tried not to worry too much about that. Alice was as usual bowling me over with her friendliness. Jasper Hale was really nice. He was silent though and I wondered how he could love tiny and chirpy Alice…Rosalie on the other hand was another story all together. Her brother's friendliness made up for her rude ignorance. She didn't even look at me. That didn't bother me…much.

"Edward…Don't mind her…She usually takes time to get used to people." Bella whispered. I nodded seriously. I was fine with that. If Bella was okay with that then so was I.

"This is Jacob Black." Bella announced as she pulled me over to the russet skinned guy who had looked at me like I was an amoeba. I tried to fake a smile. The name sent a jolt through me. He was _Jacob Black._ God! He was the best detective working on the Harry Kinley case. I had killed the guy, not alone, but still….he was so close to his award. Me. I shivered as he studied me intently. As long as he didn't know…I was safe.

"Jake!" she said frowning and he seemed to clear his head.

"Mind off the case please. You are offending him." She said in an annoyed voice. Her eyes flashed to me and then back stating clearly that the 'him' was me.

"Uh…..right…sorry, hi Edward." He said smiling slightly but I could see the calculating look in his eyes. Had he recognized me? I plotted getting him done. Yeah that would be nice. The lead detective Jacob Black killed. That was a nice idea. But much too dangerous. Jacob Black was too good. He had a lot of experience with…people like me.

"Hi…" I said smiling back. Artificially. I couldn't get a proper smile out. He smiled and this time it was genuine and I managed to smile back without looking like I was in pain.

This wasn't so bad after all. All the people there-except Rosalie- seemed nice. Emmett was loud and friendly. Jasper was silent but nice. He was a man of few words. I didn't mind. Silence was good. Alice made up for Jasper's silence filling up all of it with her soprano voice. I now understood why they were meant for each other. Jasper pacified Alice. It was obvious how he had a great deal of effect over her.

"Okay! Bella changing room please!" Alice called out and I saw Bella blush. How cute! She was the cutest girl I have ever seen.

"I'll be back. Come check on me if I don't come out in fifteen" she whispered before turning on her heel and walking to the other end where Alice stood tapping her foot impatiently. I smiled at her. She smiled back. Alice was so nice. Too bad I was going to kill her friend whom I happened to really like. I felt a pang of guilt and anger. Why was I doing this? I couldn't refuse James' order could I? I felt my heart shudder as the truth that I have known came up again. Why Bella? Why me? Why did she have to be so sweet?

**BPOV**

"So spill!" Alice squealed. I rolled my eyes. Typical Alice. She always found a way to make something out of nothing. I pulled off my top and bottom quickly. Alice was sitting on the bench there in her white bikini. Her eyes were laughing as she saw me groan. I so didn't want to face her inquisition.

"Alice! There is nothing going on between us." I said shaking my head. She laughed. Her eyes twinkled and I knew that she was going to start on how I was not seeing anything properly and how I _always_ misread the 'signs'.

"Oh please Bella. You should see the way he looks at you. He adores you. His eyes worship the _ground _you walk on." She said her voice dropping down to a whisper. I looked at her surprised. He liked me that much? Was he blind?

"Alice, he's just…we're just…friends." I said clasping my hands on my lap. He didn't like like me. Definitely not. I knew clearly what Alice was implying.

"You have to see him to know that. He looks at you like he's a blind man seeing the sun for the first time." She said and I could feel her eyes on me. I blushed. I loved the fact that he liked me and all. But the idea was so…so silly. Why would Adonis like Bella? The idea itself sounded dumb..

"Alice…He isn't like that." I said knowing that even my voice favored Alice's words.

"Oh yeah…..that _really _explains why he was practically undressing you with his eyes." She said laughing now. All the seriousness gone. I laughed with her. That was possible.

"Come on…Your man is waiting…." I said giggling as Alice realized that she had left Jasper all alone. She squealed and rushed out, I followed slowly. I was in my bikini, the _sexy blue bikini. _It barely covered me.

Okay here goes. I stepped out and several wolf whistles followed. Oh dear…..

"Bella!" Emmett called out from inside the pool. I looked at him. He gave me a thumbs up and I blushed. Jake was laughing. He found it really funny that I blushed so easily. I blushed more when Rose put her fingers to her mouth and whistled. How embarrassing!

"Bella! You finally got the courage" she looked at Edward and grinned evilly, "and the incentive to wear it." I blushed. She didn't like Edward but she was willing to try and be friends with him for my sake. I could read that in her eyes. I thanked her with my eyes. Rose was like a sister I never had. She was really protective of me, even more so than Emmett. She saw much more than others did. Other than Alice, she knew me best.

Jasper just grinned and hooted.

"Okay guys. Enough. Haven't I blushed enough for a day?" I asked sitting down at the edge of the pool. I was terrible at the getting in part. I usually took a lot of time to get in. The pool was cold. I let my feet touch the water. I usually got pushed in or thrown in by Em or Jazz.

My eyes searched for Edward. He hadn't said anything and that hurt…..a little.

"Searching for me Isabella?" a cool, velvety voice whispered in my ear and two very familiar arms wrapped around my waist. I shivered. What was he doing? Did he wasn't me to faint?

"Uh…..huh…" I said incoherently. I saw the others turning to their business. Alice winked at me. Rose though kept an eye on me and I was grateful for that. I would probably do something stupid which would result in me breaking my neck or Edward breaking his leg.

"You look…..stunning Bella." He said still behind me. "Thanks…." I whispered blushing furiously. I realized that even though the others had said the same thing in so many different words, his opinion mattered the most. All of a sudden I was lifted off the floor and slid into the pool. The arms never left me.

I shivered. The water was _cold_!

"Edward!" I cried frowning. He laughed and I felt his chest shake behind me. His wonderful sculpted, strong chest.

"So…I am your incentive…." he said releasing me. I blushed. No way was he doing that.

"No not really…Alice will lay off if I wear something nice…." I said unconvincingly. He chuckled.

"Oh really?" he asked his eyes told me that he saw through my lie, but I nodded all the same.

He leaned back both his arms on the wall. I stared at his perfectly sculpted chest. Wow…..so gorgeous. He was beautiful. Okay fine handsome. He cleared his throat and I shook myself out of my ogling.

"Like what you see?" his voice teasing. I blushed. His eyes locked on mine. His green soulful eyes. Wow. He looked at me so happily and….lovingly? Never mind. I took one step towards him. He seemed to move towards me too.

"Edward….." I said my voice barely loud enough to be heard. He heard though and his arms wrapped around me. I was tight against his chest now. But I was comfortable. I would have liked to be here forever. His eyes went to my lips and we leaned in…closer and closer. His cool breath washed over me and I shivered. He smelled so good.

"Whoa! Hey lovebirds! I would prefer you stop what you're doing right now!" a teasing voice called and we pulled back, away from each other quickly. That was so romantic! The interruption. I mean how often do you get interruptions in such places I had only seen that happen in movies.

"Emmett!" I said looking at the big teddy bear that had interrupted so rudely. He was grinning.

"I would have _loved_ to see you both exchange saliva…..but we do have to eat you know. I blushed. Edward laughed. His laugh was musical and I felt I could hear it all day.

"Come on Bells." Emmett said holding a hand out to me. I took it and he pulled me out. Edward climbed out looking dejected but his eyes sparkled when he saw me. Alice's words echoed in my mind. Did he really look at me like that?

I pulled on the black robe that I brought after drying myself off.

"Is that all?" Edward asked me. I nodded. We were late after all. Poor Ali. She was waiting, for us.

"Come on guys!" Emmett called eyeing the food table with wide eyes. I laughed.

"Okay…so come on Eddie!" I said knowing full well that he wouldn't like it. I didn't know how I knew that he didn't like that name but somehow I knew. It was like I knew him for years and years instead of just two days. I felt like I could trust him. I glowed at that realization.

"Ohhhh! Okay Belly" he said chuckling as we ran to the food table. Me being me slipped and fell. I wasn't ready for the fall like I usually was. The surprise made me freeze and that didn't help me in bracing myself for the fall.

"Ouch!" I cried as a sharp pain shot through my knee which had taken full impact. I felt dizzy. So dizzy. My head felt like I had banged it on a wall.

"Bellaaaa…" Alice said coming over to me and inspecting the long and deep cut that had formed on my knee. Then the smell of blood hit me. Oh dear. The rust and salt smell made me feel all dizzy and the next minute I knew that I had fainted.

**EPOV**

I watched Bella fall and her cry hurt me…much more than it hurt her. I hurried to her side and saw Alice already inspecting the wound. Bella looked disoriented and then before I knew it she blacked out. I felt my blood go cold. What the hell had happened? I looked at Alice but she seemed calm.

"I knew I should have been there. Silly girl." She mumbled as she wiped Bella's cut with an antiseptic. Why weren't they worried? She shouldn't have blacked out should she? I looked at Emmett but he was busy talking to Jasper about the football match next week. Nobody was concerned.

I knelt beside Alice and looked at her. Alice looked worried but her eyes did not reflect the worry in mine. I felt angry at their lack of interest.

"Why did she faint?" I asked her.

"Bella faints at the smell of blood. She becomes nauseous and her body shuts itself off." She said putting the last band aid on.

"All done." She said smiling.

I looked at Bella. She was so serene. Her robe had opened and her stomach and…..other stuff was visible. The blue of the bikini looked great with her skin. I took a deep breath. Not good.

"When will she come around?" I asked Alice.

"Oh….another ten minutes maybe. If you wake her up now she'll throw up. Stay with her." she said before vanishing.

"Hey.." a voice said from behind me. I didn't familiarize with it immediately though.

I turned.

"Uh…..hi?" I asked _Rosalie _surprised. Wasn't she supposed to hate me? Why was she here and why did she look sad? I tried to clear my head as I looked up at her.

"Edward…" she said softly but I could still hear an edge to her voice, she was worried.

"Yes?"

"Listen…I'm sorry that I was so rude to you and all but I can't help it." She said entwining her fingers as she knelt down next to me. I watched on nodding at her to continue.

"Bella and I have been friends since kindergarten and we still are. I love her like a sister. Then in third grade Alice came along. Bella took to her instantly and I guess I was jealous…But we were really good friends and that somehow brought us even closer. And then in 9th grade Bella's parents divorced and she went to Arizona with her mom. That was a really tough time for all of us. And that was when Jasper and Emmett helped a lot. Jasper knew Bella too considering he is my brother. She came back during high school. And she's been here ever since." She said looking at me with her brilliant blue eyes.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked her puzzled. She smiled a little.

"We know you like her…a lot. I just want you to know that if you hurt her all of us will hunt you down." She said her voice taking up a threatening tone. I gulped. Rosalie was frightening.

"But don't worry as long as you keep her safe and happy you're good" she said before getting up and leaving.

"So…you like me a lot huh?" a soft and very sweet voice asked me. I froze.

"Bella?"

**A/N: So how was it? I think its pretty good. I had to do a lot of editing and each time I read it I added something new to it. I think this is the longest chapter so far.**

**PLEASE READ THIS**

**I won't be able to update for a week or more…I'm going out. I won't have a phone or a computer which is sad but I am not complaining. Please wait patiently and remember that I will not give up on this. Its my favorite. **

**PLEASE REVIEW! :)**


	5. Suspicious

**I don't own Twilight**

**5. Suspicious**

**EPOV**

I sipped my coffee avoiding Bella's eyes. She'd been trying to catch my eye every two minutes. Her eyes were on me now. My face flushed. Oh dear god! Alice was busy doing goodness knows what to _Jazzypants. _I smiled at that. He had cringed at her nickname for him. How funny…..when it happens to another person. The fall hadn't shocked anyone. Apparently Bella had issues with her balance and even she wasn't surprised with her sudden fall. Only I was out of the loop. Every time she made a sound I subtly (or so I think) turn around to look at her. Her knee was completely fine or so she said and I was trying very hard to believe her. Rosalie was talking or rather lecturing Bella on something which was tall, fair, called Edward Cullen. It was kinda obvious. I turned and glanced at Bella; she was blushing slightly and cradling her coffee carefully. Okay….? Rosalie was smiling too. I was surprised at that. I never expected even that from War Princess. Every time I looked at WP I felt like I was staring at a tigress ready to kill me. Emmett was busy on the phone. He disappeared about a half hour ago.

"Edward!" a voice called pulling me out of my reverie. I turned around and saw Rosalie waving to Bella. Bella was beet red and her eyes looked embarrassed. Rosalie grinned or 'bared her teeth at me' as I put it and left. What is that about? "Yeah..?" I asked my voice rough. Bella was so cute. She was blushing more now. Awww. Edward are you some sissy girly girl? I shook myself. Great….I am behaving like a girl now! I ran a hand through my hair and looked at Bella.

"We do have to go home you know…" she said getting up and looking at the clock on the wall. I nodded absentmindedly. From the look on her face I could tell her that I was up for interrogation.

"Yeah…We should…" I said getting up.

We said goodbye and left after an hour. Bella kept glancing at me every ten seconds and I felt really stupid. This was so embarrassing.

…..

I got into her rundown truck reluctantly and she smirked at me from the driver's side. I had to avoid this topic. The 'do you like me' one….Her eyes showed some emotion but I couldn't actually read it.

"Edward…" she began loudly trying to be heard over the roar of her truck. I looked at her face quickly and turned to the window again. I couldn't face the question, not now….I needed time to mull over everything. I felt like a traitor. Not to James but to the angel who was sitting next to me. Her face a mask of hurt. Her pain was my pain, her sorrow was mine and now her hurt was mine. The feeling was fabulous but the treachery part nearly killed me. What the hell could I do? Suicide is not an option. That was low…even for a professional killer.

I heard a click and the radio tuned in. I froze at the unfamiliar tune.

_Love me…Slowly….Killer…._

_Can't you see, that I know that you kill…kill me… _

_You're a killer…You're a killer…_

_So don't wait for the end…Cos you're a killer…Baby_

_Kill me… and…. let me live..Killer.._

"That song seriously sucks" I said grumpily.

I clicked off the radio. I didn't even know that there was such a song let alone that people actually liked it. Bella sighed. I pulled my face back into the 'sulky' mode.

…

"Open the door" she said or rather ordered from outside. I cursed myself mentally. Now my miraculous escape was wasted. I slowly opened my bedroom door and there stood a very sexy Bella looking very angry. I grinned at her. Her small boy shorts made her look so much cuter. I felt an immense urge to _touch _her. The way her silk camisole hugged her like a second skin and her legs stood firmly but gracefully on the carpeted floor. Her eyes looked me up and down and I felt myself flushing. I was in my boxers. No shirt on top and she gawked at my chest.

"What do you want?" I asked her quietly. She sighed. Her brown eyes lifted to mine and then back down.

"Edward, don't make this harder for me…" she said entering the room. I nodded softly following her swaying hips with my eyes. 

I shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot. Not good. She turned and shut the door. Oh my god…

"You like me."

It was not a question but a simple statement. I ran a hand through my hair silently. How could I answer that with a simple 'yes'. I need so many more words to describe what I felt for her.

"A lot." She looked at me expectantly as though expecting me to contradict her. I didn't say anything. I liked her but I still had no idea about the 'A lot' part. Was it more of the lust or the liking and admiration I held for 'Bella'?

"Edward please…I need to know."

"Bella, I like you. I really do. But the 'A lot' part has to wait." I said quietly watching her carefully for a reaction. Not good. Her eyes fell the tiniest bit. That tiny bit gave me a kick in my gut. Hard and painful and for a moment I felt like I was a killer but the fact that I killed innocent people hit me hard. Now.

"I like you too." She said softly and I soared. She liked me. There was absolutely no way for me to describe my feelings at the moment. I smiled widely….

Before I knew it my mouth was on hers and wow was it great to kiss Bella. Her soft lips and her small frame. I pulled her against me tightly and for a moment I was home. The kiss was slow and intense. The way we melted against each other was so beautiful. I ran my hands over her thighs. I couldn't help it. She was too beautiful. For a fraction of a second I saw James' face in my eye. His scowling face. The vision wasn't beautiful but I was too happy to worry now.

"Edward…" she said and I pulled her to me for another kiss.

**BPOV**

He dived at me. Literally. But I was too happy to complain. We kissed. His lips were….were soo…awesome. The ways he kissed me were many and I wouldn't have even thought about them earlier. His perfect face was now just an inch above mine as he planted a kiss on my forehead. His pretty eyes were staring into mine for a long time. I watched him. His eyes were so full of emotion. His hands raked over my thighs and my back and I shivered. His touches were so gentle.

"Edward…." I warned knowing that if he continued I would get to incoherentitis. But he just pulled me to him again and kissed me hard.

Even though his kiss told me how much he liked me I could tell that something was bothering him and that he wasn't in the moment.

…

"So have you ever thought that we would you know…" he asked running his hands though my hair. I smiled slightly. I haven't thought of anything else.

"Many times…." I said leaning back against him and staring at the moon. The terrace was a beautiful place to be in and this was the right moment to be there. His arms wrapped around me and I sighed happily. His arms were like my personal guards or comforters. I felt instantly comforted and his arms tightened.

"So…" he started pressing his lips to my head. I smiled.

"So…" I said back turning to kiss his neck. The sharp intake of breath told me that I had achieved my goal. He groaned slightly before planting a kiss on my neck. The kiss made my heart flutter. His hands lifted me up and turned me around on his lap. I stared into his eyes. Those gorgeous green eyes. His hand cradled my face and he kissed me chastely. The kiss was wonderful. I felt so elated.

"Isabella you are so beautiful." He said pulling me tighter and I didn't complain.

**JPOV (Jacob)**

"Seth…" I said biting into my burger. The long haired lanky youth who had joined the station today ambled in looking very excited. His black eyes darted back and forth quickly. He would one day make Forks proud.

"Yes sir." He asked standing in front of me. I looked at him smiling slightly. He was a lot like me. I felt a small tug at my heart when I thought of the 'like me' part. He was like any other guy who was putting his or her life at stake to get the killer. Harry Kinley. That guy's murder was terribly neat and the most confusing. Not a drop of blood spilt and the killer cleaned up after himself or herself.

"Seth…I want you to look this up for me." I said extending the new report to him. His eyes fell a little. I smiled a bit more.

"It's a report on Kinley. I have a feeling I've finally hit on something." I said biting again.

"He's the guy who was killed in his car right?" he asked glancing at the report. His eyes ran over the sheets and every now and then he paused.

"Yeah…No sign of any struggle. It's like he was killed in his sleep. No blood. Simple slit to the throat. His car was in perfect condition. Not a scratch." I said frowning. Even the predicament seemed fake. Why would someone kill someone so carefully and how? The car of all places? Especially since it was the office hour.

"Sir, if you don't mind me saying this. May I?" he asked me. His eyes bright. I nodded.

"What if the murder was not in the car? What if the murder was done and then the body brought to the car?" he asked looking at me. I gaped at him.

"You mean the actual murder was not in the car?" I asked. He nodded. That was something. Why hadn't I thought of that before?

"But even that requires some amount of a mess." He smiled.

"Not really sir. If there are more than two men for the job there is no mess." He said his eyes looking at the scans again. I nodded. I would have to tell Leah about it. She was the forensic specialist. The probability of a near solution was wonderful.

"Great. I am happy that we have such bright people working here." I said smiling at him. He grinned back before leaving with the papers in hand.

….

"Yuh think?" Leah asked form behind the large table. Her eyes observing the body again. I shuddered. Ewww…

"Well it's a possibility isn't it?" I asked her.

"Mmm." She said shrugging out of her white sanitary coat. I smiled.

"Dinner?"

"Sure." I said pressing a kiss to her lips before pulling her out with me.

**RPOV (Rosalie)**

"Emmett, do you think I'm mad?" I asked him. He smiled a little.

"Well, not really, but I seriously think that you went overboard with the anti-Edward movement." He said wrapping his arm around me.

"Something about Edward screams 'not trustable'. I can't help it." I said snuggling into him. His chest shook with laughter. I smiled a little, but felt ridiculously suspicious of Edward. The way his eyes roamed Bella's body. The way he practically undressed her with his eyes. The way his hands tightened around her more possessively than protectively. His eyes told me a lot. He liked her, that was obvious but the way he got this hungry expression on his face. Almost murderous.

"Rosie baby…" Emmett said sitting up with me on top of him. I looked at him guiltily.

"Emmett…..?"

"Let go. I love you and I love Bells. I'll protect her if anything happens." He said reassuringly and reassured I felt. But the nagging worry that something was up didn't leave me.

"I love you Em." I said before snuggling up to him and sighing. Sleep was going to be hard to achieve tonight.

**Andrea's POV**

I tried her phone again. But no answer. So not like Bella. I went out to the living room and set the table. Ever since I moved to Arizona to live with mom, dad has been calling me up thrice a day to check on me. Irritating. But I found it sweet. He cared. Eric called and cancelled our date. Too bad. I didn't mind though. I had agreed out of compulsion. Mom and Phil had gone to some business party. But they did say that they would be back by dinner.

I went to my phone again.

"Hello?" this time it was a male voice answering. I froze. A _male _voice. That's new.

"Hey, I'm Andrea…" I said softly. There was an 'oh' on the other side and then the guy yelled for Bella. There was a bit more noise and then finally Bella's voice.

"Andy?" her voice asked from the other side. I giggled.

"Yup.." I said.

"Oh my god! What's up?" she asked her voice rising an octave higher.

"Bella…It's eleven at night. Who's the guy?" I asked grinning. Bella gasped.

"That's Edward my new housemate." She said quickly.

From the other side I heard a gasp again and then a soft protest.

"Bella….I love you…."

I squealed.

"Eeeep!"

"Andy…It's nothing like that. He's just doing it to get you started." She wailed.

"Okay then." I said smirking. She was probably blushing red now. Her red face came into my vision for a moment. Cute…

"So are you coming to Phoenix anytime soon?" I asked her. I seriously missed Bella. Even mom did. She just didn't show her feelings outwardly like I did.

"I don't know Andy…" she said and I could almost see her biting her lip.

"Okay….You're busy. I don't mind. But I'll come to see you missy." I said faking a stern tone. She laughed. The same laugh she always used when she felt tired or puzzled.

"Okay Bella, I'd better get going. Love you. Convey my regards to Alice, Jazz, Em, Rose and Jake and of course your new beau" I said smiling.

"I will. And wait until you come here Andy" she said and I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Bye, I love you. Call soon." She said and I heard the dial tone.

Pretty Bella…..

**A/N: SO I'm back…I don't really know the essence of this chapter. It's important that you guys see the simplicity with which they like each other. Not deep enough (yet) to wound anyone. And as you can see Edward settles on lust rather than love in this case.**

**If you actually understood what I am doing, you are a genius because even I am at loss there. **

**So please review. I like reviews and please GIVE ME SUGGESTIONS. That is important. For those who don't give suggestions….RATE! **

**I need at least one of these to improve my writing. **

**So if you want to know who Andrea is (I bet you already know.) or guess. Love you all. :) **


	6. Shopping!

**I don't own Twilight**

**6. Shopping!**

**BPOV**

"Alice…." I said trying to sound stern. She was so damn good at begging. I sighed. This was going to be the most stupid decision of my life.

"Please, Bella." She said and I could almost see her making her puppy dog face. Not good. Why did all Alice's shopping trips involve me! I knew I was going to give in eventually….why argue?

"Okay."

"Yay! I'll pick you up at eleven." She squealed and groaned loudly. I was gonna die!

"What's the matter Bella?" Edward's velvety voice asked me from the doorway. I turned and smiled. He was the picture of perfection. So handsome. I almost drooled.

"Nothing." I said trying not to get dazzled. Yesterday had been,….wow. There were no words for how much I enjoyed talking to Edward the whole night. But now, my mood was changing. He grinned at me.

"You have bags under your eyes." He said coming closer and I froze when his warm breath washed over me. He was going to be the death of me. I smiled a little and he leaned in to kiss me.

"You are so cute when you smile." He mumbled into my neck. I laughed. He was so tall and he was doubling up to bury his head in my neck. I ran my fingers through his bronze hair and he growled. Oh right…..Out of limits…I giggled. Yesterday I had done a lot of that and he kept growling.

"Bella" he chided. I giggled again.

"I have to go shopping with Alice." I said not trying to mask my fear. He raised an eyebrow at me. I could see his amusement. He was finding my fear irrational….Like he had any idea?

"You say that like it's a bad thing…"

I groaned.

"You'll see when it's your turn." I said before going up to get dressed.

…..

"Bye, Edward." I said sadly. He grinned and waved.

"Bella…" she said her voice thick with implications. Oh man! I climbed into the passenger side of her canary yellow Porsche.

"Alice…"

"Come on…Its obvious that you guys have done something…." She continued looking at me for a whole minute. I blushed. "You were safe right?" she asked her voice worried now. Oh hell!

"Alice…we didn't do anything…..like….that…" I said trying to control my tongue.

"Okay….Did you at least kiss?" she asked her eyes dancing. I nodded.

"How was it?" she asked.

"Good."

And the questions continued…..and continued…even after we entered the mall.

…

"I think that looks great." She said looking me up and down. And why wouldn't she. It was her selection after all. I rolled my eyes.

"You told me Rose was coming." I said turning to look at the mirror again.

"Yeah….She's running late….But she said she'll be here by twelve thirty." Alice replied.

My dress was amazing. Even though I had no idea why I would need it. Its black with blue patterns and it ends way above my comfort level. It shows too much cleavage too. I looked at the price tag and almost threw a fit.

"Ali….Why this much?" I asked shaking the tag in her face. She rolled her eyes.

"Bells you need it and money is supposed to be used for needy people." She said snatching the dress out of my hands and walking off.

_3 hours later_

"OMG! Isn't that Tyler Crowley?" Rose exclaimed as we walked over to the next store and the one that I dreaded the most. I turned to the direction in which she was pointing…

"Bella!"He called and waved excitedly. I groaned. Oh no… My other faithful golden retriever. This is not good. Rose giggled as he started to make his way over to me. I shifted nervously.

"Hey Bella….How are you?"" he asked in his overly friendly voice that sickens me. I smiled.

"I am great…..How about you?" I asked and my stomach churned at the way his eyes lit up… I glanced at Alice but she just grinned mischievously.

"I am awesome. How about we both go out today?" he asked and I froze. Uh oh… I focused on Edward. And all my sickness washed away. His glorious body, his crooked smile, the way his eyes twinkled, the way his hair stood up in all directions…

"Uh…Bella? Are you drooling?" Alice asked waving her hand in front of me. I shook my head and blushed. Tyler was gone. Mmm. Edward seemed to have helped me even in my thoughts. I blushed deeply. Oh my god….Why was this happening…

I blushed deep red. Not good. I knew what we were going to buy. Lingerie. Loads and loads of it. They bought me the most atrocious things. And wearing a few of them might be worse than wearing nothing at all. Especially the black laces.

**EPOV**

I glanced at the clock. Bella was coming back in two hours. I ran a frustrated hand through my hair. I was going to have to kill her. How? How was I going to face the pain? I liked Bella a lot. I don't know how I'm going to kill her. The very thought puts my entire being in pain. Serious pain. James called an hour ago.

_Flashback:_

"_Edward…You've never taken this long….What is happening…?" he asked his usual irritating voice more irritating than ever. I growled. He laughed sourly._

"_Edward, you haven't grown any sort of…..attachments for the girl have you?" he asked his voice going to danger level 6. Oh man._

"_Of course not…." I said casually making my voice sound incredulous. He seemed to be reassured. For a moment I thanked the great being for my lying skills._

"_So what's the problem?" he asked. "Two of her friends are hot on my tracks or at least they are suspicious. I have to lie low for a while."_

_I congratulated myself on my clever escapade. James couldn't say anything now. He'll let me wait. "I'll send reinforcement" _

_I froze. NO._

"_You will?"_

"_Edward, it's obvious you need help. Come on. I'll send Demetri or Felix. They are your 'Buddies' after all." I cringed at the thought of Demetri or Felix coming here, close to my Bella. My Bella? Where the hell did that come from? _

"_Uh….I'll need them. But not now….A few days at least…." I said, confidence leaking into my voice. Maybe a big leak but it was all fake so who cares if I layer it on? _

"_Ok…" he said and I heard the dial tone._

I really am in a hitch. Not good. I leaned back on the comfy black leather couch. So comfy. The mere feeling of comfort brought Bella to my mind. I liked her too much to be healthy. But I needed her. So much. She was like a drug. A healthy drug though….Like vitamin capsules. My head spun. Her soft hair, the gentle swells of her breasts, her curvy figure, her brown eyes that pleaded innocence. I felt my entire body shake. I couldn't kill her. I couldn't but I had to. I had no alternative.

…

"Edward!" this time I jumped awake. Bella was right there. Her white button up ridden up. She didn't seem to notice though. "We are going clubbing!" she shrieked. I stared at her. She reacted violently.

"Did you know?" she asked her eyes angry. I nodded slowly. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!" I smiled at her angry but sexy self. Wow! That girl could pull off any look.

"They told me not to." I said easily. I felt a tiny twinge of guilt. I didn't tell her.

"Well, I hate you. You are a meanie." She said jabbing her forefinger into my chest. I sighed. Now I had to go to my original decision. I considered how to tell her.

"Bella, about yesterday…" I said uneasily now. She looked up and all her anger washed off. It was like she knew what I was going to say. I ran a hand through my hair and found myself wishing it was her hand.

"I think we went too fast and I'd like us to be just friends first" I said observing the floor. She didn't say anything. I closed my eyes waiting for a scream. But nothing came instead when I looked up she was gone. Man I had hurt her. I felt terrible now….

….

I waited outside her room for fifteen minutes. Finally she came out. My jaw hit the floor, literally, she looked so damn amazing. My friend liked it too, considering his stiffness.

"You look very beautiful." I whispered. She looked at me like I was just something off the road. I didn't get hurt at that.

"You look nice _friend._" She said before turning around to shut her door. I stared at her. The neckline, the length. Wow…

…

"Bella!" Alice yelled across to us. She walked carefully in her black stilettos. She was wearing heels! How sexy was that? Rosalie looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged. Jacob wasn't there. That made me feel better. At least I was not going to have a policeman breathing down my neck. Bella sat down and stared coldly at the empty seat next to her. I smiled slightly at her coldness. The moment I sat down she turned and stared in the opposite direction.

"Edward…What did you do? Did you refuse to have se- make love to her?" Emmett asked wiggling his brows. I groaned. Jasper laughed.

"No…."

"Bring the shots…." Alice said jumping up and down in her seat. I got up mumbling an excuse about needing water. Alice eyed me before looking back to her friends.

"Hey…." I said to the bartender. He was in his thirties. Or almost there. He grinned at me. "Hey man…." He said his gruff voice hitting me hard.

"So…what do ya want?" he asked setting a beer mug in front of a girl to my right.

"Nothing…My friends have already asked for…." I said watching them as they laughed. I felt really out of the loop now. It was true anyway. They were all friends. I was a cold blooded murderer.

"Friends huh? Some friends….." he said looking in their direction. I nodded. They were. They were great, but they were people too. I sighed as I saw Bella laugh as she downed another shot. Her place was cluttered with the tiny glasses.

"I'm Alec." He said grinning at me.

"Edward."

"So who is she?" he asked eyeing my so called friends group again. I stared at him. How the hell did he know?

"The brown haired one I assume. Bella's nice. She is the usually sober one in the group. Gives Jasper nice company." He said smiling.

"You know…?" I asked astounded. He nodded. "'Been comin here for years ya know? Jasper knows me well. He found me this job din't he? Bella comes here with her 'omemade cookies every fortnight" He said this fondly. I smiled.

"So…what's wrong?" he asked me. I shook my head.

"I like her." I said softly. He laughed. "Oh no man. You don't 'like' her. You love her." He said patting me on the back. What! I love Bella? Was that even possible?

" Uh huh….You have to tell her now or later…It's in your hands man…." He said clapping me once more. I stared at him.

"You know he's right." The girl who I didn't know at all added. I stared at her. Why? Why? Why? Why? I liked her. I loved her. She is killing me!

I headed back. Jasper and Alice were dancing and they seemed to be completely fine. The table was empty. I searched the dancers for my friends. Rosalie and Emmett were in the far corner making out. I searched for the one person my eyes sought and finally I got to her. She was dancing…..with a guy who seemed to be talking to her. I watched closely ignoring the painful wrench in my gut. Jealousy. Bella was drunk. Too drunk.

The guy had his hands on her ass now. I watched her closely for any signs of resistance. And finally I hit on it. She was shoving him. But he was persistent. The anger that flared was terrible. I marched over to them and ripped Bella out of his grimy hands. He looked good, the guy, but in my eyes he was a vile and ugly. Bella was shaking but her eyes were glazed. I pulled her close to me. The guy uttered a string of profanities. I didn't stop to listen. I turned and pulled Bella to the small sofa like thing that had been occupied by two guys previously. I sat Bella down and sat next to her.

"Niceeee…" she slurred her eyes looking me up and down.

"You know Edward all I evv…evvver wanted was to….love you….and you said we are just friends ….at the moment."

I didn't struggle as she climbed over my legs and sat straddling my lap. Her hands went around my neck. I clenched my fists tightly. No….Please don't say something….

"Am I…not enough? She asked her eyes glazing over again. Her right hand came back in front and traced my lips. I stiffened. In both ways. Her other hands unbuttoned my shirt and almost came to the last one but stopped her in time.

"Edwarrrd…." She said her lower lip quivering. I sucked in a breath as she started undoing her own dress. The zipper was loosened.

"No Bella!" I said turning her around. The soft skin of her back was exposed to me. No bra involved. I couldn't help but brush my fingers along her pure skin. Her breathing quickened. I knew what to do. I zipped it up and lifted her; she wasn't going to be able to move. That I could tell. I smelled her nice fruity smell. It was amazing.

**We r leaving. Bella's a little too drunk.-E**

I looked up to see Jasper nodding. I smiled.

….

I buckled Bella's belt and started the car. She was smiling at me weirdly.

"You look yummy…." She said licking her lips. I grimaced. I didn't want to know how yummy I was…..

"I wish you'd just love me already…" she said grumpily and I sensed that her 'love' referred to something else all together. My friend liked this, a lot. I shifted in my seat.

"Bella…..Please sleep." I said and when I looked to my right I saw her sleeping. I wanted her so bad now. I barely knew her. But I felt like I had known her all my life.

…..

"Edward….." she said once as I carried her out of the car. I smiled at her. How beautiful she looked. I opened the door and entered the dark house. The moment I lay her on the couch she woke up. Oh no….

I turned to shut the door. The moment I locked it I turned around and what I saw killed me. Bella's dress lay discarded on the floor. Her panties were on her and man she looked….oh shit….

She walked to me and I struggled hard to control desire. Her hands were on me and then she kissed me softly. I kissed back. Wow she had soft lips. My hands were on her back.

With great effort I pulled back. I ran for sheets and got one from my room. The sheet securely wrapped around her, she sat down.

"I want to love you." She said stiffly.

"I want love you too." I said also stiffly….except in a different way.

"But you're drunk…" I said gesturing to her body. She grinned. Ok….

"Now sleep.

"No…."

The sheet came off…..Oh no….

**A/N: How was it? Good? Bad? Terrible? Awesome? Please review….:)**


	7. She Changed Me

**I don't own Twilight**

**7. She changed me**

**EPOV**

I set the aspirin and the glass of water on her beside table. The sheets were roughly thrown down and I heard retching sounds from the bathroom. I slipped in and saw Bella crouched over the toilet. Oh dear. I held her hair as she emptied her empty stomach into the toilet. She was clothed now. And I breathed a sigh of relief when she finally stopped. Her eyes were red and her voice was scratchy.

"Sorry about that" she said as she softly brushed her hair away from her eyes. I smiled at her.

"It's okay. Now why don't you lie down?" I asked her trying to sound normal. She shook her head. I raised and eyebrow at her and she raised hers back at me.

"Are you not having a headache?" I asked incredulously. She laughed. And then sighed.

"I am….But it's not terrible. Anyway I already remedied the headache she said tilting her head in the direction of the bathroom. I studied her for any signs of deception and finally agreed that she was fine. She waved me off like I was nothing and then started whistling. I walked out of the door feeling uneasy. The whole episode seemed so unrealistic. Bella would never do that. The moment I thought that, yesterday night rushed back.

Man it was difficult to control myself when she started over to me. I felt like a dirty man. Even if it wasn't my fault that anything had happened. I shook my head slightly and tried to rid my head of that image. As much as I had wanted to Bella I couldn't do it. My cold killer self might have agreed. But not me. Not Edward Cullen. I had dressed her in a huge t-shirt and she was asleep within minutes even if it was only after I locked her up.

I slowly made my way down the stairs thinking back to what Alec had said. He seemed right. And that knowledge only scared me further. If at all Bella loved me too wouldn't she run screaming when she found out why I really was here. I sighed.

I knew I had no choice. Either she dies or both of us die. I knew I didn't prefer either but if the choice comes down to that I would choose the latter. I heard a clatter followed by a loud crash and a scream.

"Bella!" I exclaimed when I found her sprawled over the floor. She grimaced. Her arm had many glass pieces sticking into it. The shattered frame had somehow managed to injure her arm.

"Don't touch me." She said angrily. But I didn't listen. She was hurt. A trip to the ER was just what I needed at the moment.

…..

I flinched at every plink sound of the glass. It made me feel sick. Bella was staring out of the window. Her face showed no signs of fear or pain. Just plain normalcy. It was like she had experienced this before. I stared at her face. The mahogany waves were pulled up roughly into a pony and she was still in her tiny shorts. I sighed. I wanted her to love me. But the real me was not worth loving. She was pure and gentle. It felt like she would break if I just looked at her. Her eyes were far off. In another world.

The truth was there laid out in front of me but I was frightened to accept it. How can I love a girl who is endangered by me?

"All done." He said getting up. I smiled a little.

"Thanks doc." She said grinning at him. Did she know him?

"Bells…You should be more careful or else-"

"-someday I will wind up here irreplaceable. I know doc. You say that every time." She said before jumping off the bed and walking outside. I followed. She was hurting because of me. And no I am not talking about the stitches….but her heart. She kept walking and then went down the stairs I followed her silently. Bella was the essence that I required for so long. The 'humanity' in me that had been lost for more than a decade was brought out again and this time the killer recoiled. I could feel the fresh and new life hit me with full force.

"Uhm….Edward….?" a soft voice asked. I shook myself and looked at Bella who was standing on the other side of the car tapping her foot annoyed.

"Sorry…." I said sheepishly. She rolled her eyes.

I clicked the door open and drove us back to the house. Bella had to go to school.

….

I stood outside her class watching her talk to every child. Her eyes were soft and the kids fawned around her. She wore a full sleeve blouse to cover the bandage up.

"Ms. Bella?" a sweet voice called. She looked up at a small girl with golden curls. She looked angelic.

"Kate?" she asked pushing her hair behind her ear.

"How is this?" Kate asked her blue eyes shining.

"Its wonderful honey Bella said eyeing the paper the girl was holding. The other children were all in their own worlds. Some were drawing. Painting. Coloring. Bella was in her own world with the children and she seemed happy with them. Even though I wasn't inside the class I was enjoying myself. A lot.

…

"Come on….Let's get home now. Ok?" Bella told, Kate slipping the tiny bag onto her shoulders. I raised an eyebrow.

Kate went off in the direction of the parking lot. Bella watched her with sad eyes.

"Kate's mother is not well. She has cancer in fact. Kate doesn't know. She doesn't need to nor will she understand. She is very bright for her age." She said turning to look at me. I watched her waiting for more. But she didn't offer anything.

"Tanya was a good friend in college. Her husband left her for some millionaire witch." The last part was said with venom. Her breathing slowed down to normal and she picked up her coat and purse.

"Let's go Cullen. We have to get home before dark." She said before walking out to her car. Great.

…

Tanya, Kate's mother was very beautiful woman. She looked like a model, but very frail. I sat inside the car the whole time. Tanya liked Bella and I was sure that she would leave everything of hers to Bella including Kate.

"Come on."

Bella sat beside me and we talked for what seemed like hours. All the way home and even during dinner. That night was terrible. At first. The thunder was so loud. I could hear the rain on the roof and it was surprisingly irritating. I groaned. Why today? The door opened slowly and Bella entered looking terrified.

I smiled at her.

"Scared of thunder?" I asked looking at her shake.

She nodded. And at the next rumble she jumped into my bed and buried her head into my chest. Never have I felt that way before. She was trusting me. She was in my bed with me and she trusted me to protect her. I felt my insides rejoice.

I adjusted my position such that she could stay where she was, but both of us were lying more comfortably. I stroked her hair softly and she mumbled something. I smiled at her again before sleeping.

I felt something wiggle in my arms. Huh? I hugged the warm thing tighter. So comfortable. And then suddenly I was aware of a discomfort. I opened my eyes apparently Bella had found out about the same 'discomfort'.

"Edward?" she asked moving away from me a little. I blushed. Shit.

"Um…Its morning." I said as though that cleared up everything. She raised an eyebrow. I turned away.

"Hey….." she said before turning my head so that I was facing her. "Its okay." She leaned down and pressed her lips to mine and before I knew it my shirt was on the floor. I didn't want or need to stop. Everything felt so natural. Bella's shirt joined mine and we continued the kissing. The skin on her neck was so soft. I kissed her and then bit her. The-

The bell! Ugh! Dumb NUT! Why the HELL does someone have to come _now_?

We hastily pushed apart and Bella slipped on her shirt.

"Coming!" She called before running down the stairs. I slipped my shirt over my head and slowly walked down and as though nature had done it on purpose I heard Alice's voice followed by Emmett's loud laughter. Dumb dodos!

"Hey Edward…. Emmett said overly enthusiastic. I smiled back but it came out more like a grimace.

"Sorry for disturbing you 'fun'….But we are going out today" Alice said taking charge. Emmett was laughing like a mentally affected gorilla.

"We were just…." Bella began but Alice silenced her with a look. I bit back my own retort. Why lie?

"Its okay Bella…You don't have to say anything. Now move we have to get you ready. We are going for a party." She said before rushing Bella off. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed.

"Don't worry you will have all the time in the world when we come back." Emmett said and dodged one of my blows.

Dumb dodo.

…..

I picked my normal clothing. Nothing new. My deep blue jeans and a grey shirt. Emmett was raiding the kitchen and I could here munching sounds every two seconds. Bella and Alice were still up in her room.

"What the hell have you done?" I asked staring at the once full fridge. Emmett smiled goofily with his mouth full. Well…I didn't know dodos could eat so much.

"She makes the best food. Rosie isn't that great at cooking. I needed the food." He said not really caring about how I took it. I didn't mind. Bella could decide on what to do.

"OMFG!" Emmett cried and the cookie he was holding fell down. I laughed but I stopped the moment I saw what had gotten that sort of a reaction out of him. Bella.

I gaped at her. Her hair was done in soft curls and was down her back as usual. She was wearing a red blouse that brought out all her curves. Her black jeans only intensified the effect. I stared and stared and stared….and….

"Lover boy…close your mouth…I saw a fly or two go in…" Alice said giggling. Bella was blushing.

"We will see you at Tan's okay?" Alice said before dragging Emmett out by the ear. I shut the door and then returned to the kitchen. Bella was clutching a cup of coffee in her hands. She seemed unperturbed by the empty fridge. Maybe it happened a lot.

"Uh…Emmett eats a lot you know?" I said uneasily. Talking to her was tough. She laughed. "I do. He lived here Edward."

"Uh….right…" I said feeling idiotic.

"We do have to go you know…." She said. I nodded.

"Yes. We do. I'll drive." I said grabbing the keys and fleeing into the crisp autumn air. The rain had lessened the autumn feel somehow. I took a deep breath of air that was not saturated with Bella's smell. That helped me recover my senses a bit.

"Well….I'm ready. Let's go." She said locking the front door and walking out to the front porch. I nodded.

…..

I managed to go to Tanya's house without any difficulty. Sitting with a goddess in a car is really distracting.

"Bella!" Alice squealed even though she had seen her hardly half an hour ago. I rolled my eyes as Tanya joined the group. Kate was at the school. Tanya looked very pretty but vulnerable. Her eyes showed her pain. And then it hit me. Her husband. Oh shit. I stared at her and recognized the same Tanya I had seen three years ago. Her eyes were not icy now. They were warm. She looked sad but I suppose she would welcome death happily. Of course she would. She loved him a lot.

I walked up to the place where the girls were squealing. Tanya looked up and her eyes widened in realization. I shook my head imperceptibly. But she understood.

"You must be Edward…" she said playing the part to perfection.

"Tanya." I said casually. She smiled. "Bella here was talking non stop about you. My ears actually hurt." She said laughing. I was surprised. She of course was a strong woman. I knew what she said then. The only reason she didn't carry out her threat was Kate. I didn't know the name of the child then though. But I remember the golden curls. Garrett had the same golden hair. He was the charmer. They usually sent him out to deal with the ladies. The suspicious ones….That might create problem for the missionaries. I stared at her.

It was surprising how much she had changed. Her hair was still strawberry blond, a color that I could not stand no matter what. Garrett had loved her. So much. I would know. But sadly James did too. Tanya turned back to the excited girls and I walked to a corner in the huge garden. The entire place was forested. So beautiful. I stared out into the place where I knew the horizon should be. The trees blocked my view.

….

"She is trying really hard you know?" Alice said coming up and sitting beside me. Bella was with Tanya and the guys. Rosalie was staring into the darkness. I couldn't believe that it was only five.

"Who?"

"Tanya."

I nodded watching her laugh but the wince was obvious. She was in pain. I tried not to focus too much on that. Alice looked at my plate. Untouched. I couldn't eat. This was a first. Never happened to me before.

"Edward…What's the matter?" Alice asked me. But her voice showed her concern plainly. I shrugged. I couldn't possibly tell her. She sighed.

'She loves you too you know?" she said leaning back against the tree trunk. I raised an eyebrow. But Alice was busy staring at the sky.

"She loves you a lot. But you don't realize it. Neither does she. She has never been so happy with a guy before…..She told me about your 'just friends' act. Why did you do it Edward?"

"I needed to. I had to find out about my true feelings for her."

"And did you?" she asked a small smile gracing her lips.

I nodded slowly. My heart wrenching on the inside. She smiled bigger.

"And what was it that you found?" she asked me.

"I love her."

….

I placed my phone on the couch away from everybody's view. Tanya knew. She knew my plan. She always did.

The cars started and one by one we left. Bella didn't talk much in the car but I guess that was my fault. I was sporting a very hard face. If only she knew why…Her clothing turned me on enough but now she had to wear that pout and a frown. My knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel so tight.

The moment we were home I ripped the key out from under the eaves and pushed the door open. She walked in timidly but I could see the hurt in her eyes.

I slammed the door and kissed her. Hard and fast. She gasped and for a moment I wondered if I had hurt her. But before I could say anything her arms wrapped around me. I pushed her against the wall and place my hands on both sides. Her hands moved to my shirt. I growled at the feel of her small soft hands on my bare chest.

And then- the phone rang. Shit. Shit. Shit. I had forgotten. I kissed Bella once more before moving away. My shirt was on the floor. I picked it up and looked at Bella.

She was talking. And she seemed really disappointed. Angry even.

"He can come tomorrow right? Or I will come and pick it up…." She said frowning.

"Okay bye…."

"You left your phone at Tanya's house" she said crossly.

"Oh man!" I said not feigning disappointment at all.

"You can go tomorrow…" she suggested. I ran a hand through my hair and tugged my shirt back on.

"It has a lot of information."

"Tanya won't do anything." She said crossing her hands over her chest. I nodded.

"But my boss might call and if I don't' answer he will kill me." I said meaning it literally. She looked frightened and then resigned.

"Okay. Hurry back." There was something at the back of her voice. Something that said 'don't do anything you are not supposed to'. I hugged her close.

"Bella. I am just going for the phone. Nothing else." I said emphasizing on the nothing. Bella still seemed uneasy.

"Ok…."

…

"Well….?" Tanya asked looking unhappy. I shrugged. I couldn't tell her about the mission.

"Edward…I don't want you to end up like….like Garrett." She said whispering his name. The room for once was silent but cold. Kate was sleeping. Tanya was crying silently now. I just sat on the couch. I didn't know what to do. Comfort her? How? How could I tell her anything against the fact that her husband had been brutally murdered? That Garrett Denali no longer lived because and only because of her? I couldn't possibly lie to her about something she already knew.

Tanya wiped her eyes.

"Edward what are you doing here?" she asked. Her eyes back to suspicion mode.

I sighed. She had to know. She would know eventually. Better tell her.

"I am on a mission."

"I know that. But who are you killing?" she asked leaning forward. Her nighty was very thin. But after seeing Bella no woman looked even remotely appealing. The dressing robe she wore was silk. Garrett was a rich guy.

"Bella." I said softly. But she caught it. And before I knew it her weak fists were pounding my chest and she was crying again. I didn't attempt to stop her. I deserved it. Maybe she should run over me with a road roller that should suffice.

Before long she weakened and hugged me.

"Please don't kill her Edward." She whispered. I patted her on the back. I didn't want to say "I won't". I knew it though.

"You love Bella Edward. They say love can change people thoroughly. And I can see it in your eyes. You aren't the same person you were three years ago. I know. Tell her. Escape. Go to some place he can't find you in."

I shuddered. The truth was appalling. Incognito? Nuh uh. James had people working everywhere. I didn't want to risk Bella's life to save my own. No. I won't do that.

"I know it will be tough. But you have to Edward. Please. Think about it." She said kissing my cheek. And act that Tanya did a lot in the early days. I nodded numbly. I would.

"Bye Edward." She said closing the door behind her.

….

I sighed into the cold night. The stars were not visible. Another storm. I stood in front of the truck. I couldn't bring my feet to move. They were frozen. The first drop fell followed by torrents. I was soaked. Only after fifteen minutes of cold rain did I realize that my love was waiting at home. I jumped into the truck marveling at the warmth.

And I made my way back home. I smiled at the way I said 'home'. It indeed was home.

….

Forty five minutes later, I was tucked inside a warm blanket and held a cup of hot chocolate in one hand. Bella was leaning against the counter staring off into space. I dunk the whole thing and enjoyed it.

I could actually feel my toes now.

"Edward…Why did it take you so long to return?" she asked and I froze.

"Huh?"

"Why did you take so long to return?" She asked again and this time she turned to face me. The pain she was feeling was reflected through her eyes. I cringed.

"Edward…?" she said again and this time I stood up.

"I was talking to Tanya." I said softly. She looked resigned again.

"Talked?" she said in a tone that said 'yeah right'.

"Yes. Bella. I actually know Tanya. Her husband Garrett and I we were…we were friends. And I have met her before. So I was just asking her about what happened to Garrett." I said part truthfully.

"M'kay." She said not believing me.

"I swear. Nothing else. And then of course. She asked me about you."

"What did she ask you?" Bella asked uninterested.

"She asked me whether I love you." I said smiling slightly at my nice alteration in the story.

Bella didn't turn. Instead she 'mmmed."

"I said I did."

A loud crash followed.

**A/N: Sorry for taking such a long time. Well. How is this chapter? Good? I am hoping it is. :)….. **


	8. United

**I don't own Twilight**

**8. United**

**EPOV**

I watched her reaction. The mug she was holding was in big broken pieces on the floor. What would she say? I love you too Edward…..followed by a smile? I wanted just that….maybe a kiss too…But this was Bella we are talking about. No normal girl. Her eyes showed a variety of emotions…anger, surprise, pain, hatred, anger again, hurt….but no love. Not a hint of it. Anywhere. I sighed and my heart shattered. She didn't love me. Why should she? I am a killer after all. I made my decision…I would run away tonight. Go incognito….only I would go….no Bella.

"Edward…." She breathed. I stared into the deep pools of chocolate that I had been so drawn to. She looked like she would collapse. I stood up halfway but she held up a hand telling me to remain seated. I complied. Her stance was rigid. No relaxation. Only tenseness.

"Uh Bella? Are you okay?" I asked anxiously. She snorted. But it was more derisive than amused. I raised an eyebrow. What had happened to her?

"You bastard! Arrogant prat! Jerk!" she screamed all of a sudden and I was showered with punches. Not that they hurt. But they were punches all the same. She looked furious.

"How dare you even _think _that I will believe you? What happened? Did you sleep with Tanya? Did that make you feel guilty? Don't! I don't care! Go screw Tanya! But don't ever look at me in the face again! You could have just said 'sorry Bella….I slept with Tanya. It was plain need. I had no choice.' Or 'Bella…I slept with Tanya….even if she has cancer...I love her and I want to move in with her'. Its that simple….But _no. _You had to go about it differently. You love me? Do you even know what love is? Do you think love grows on trees? You can't just tell someone you love them out of guilt or whatever you are feeling now!" she screamed. And screamed. And screamed. But all I saw was the way her face scrunched up when she was angry. She looked so sexy when she was angry. Even better than with the blue bikini.

"Love." I said answering one of her yells.

She stopped short.

"Huh?"

"Its love that I am feeling right now…." I said and she looked too shocked to even speak. The tears were running down her cheeks freely now. I reached out and pulled her onto my lap. She shook, sob after sob racked through her. I didn't kiss her. Even though I really wanted to. Her small frame quivered. I didn't like it. It hurt too much.

"Bella…..I….are you….okay?" I asked her after a few minutes of silence. She turned her head to face me. Her eyes were puffy and red. But she looked stiff…Her breath was uneven…she looked upset… I didn't blame her…not in the slightest….but I loved her…I couldn't live without her….I knew that…

She looked at me….more intensely…her back straight.

…

**BPOV**

I looked at his emerald eyes…All I felt was betrayal. He wasn't even mine. Why was I feeling so…used?...My heart thudded loudly. Lungs were constricted. I didn't know what to say…Suddenly I realized that I was still on his lap. I jumped off. No way I was going to sit on him…His emotions showed hurt. Like I cared. If he could hurt me I could hurt him right?

I slowly turned around and walked. Up to my room. My temporary sanctuary. I could hear Edward speaking with somebody. Again. His boss obviously. I felt like running back in there and snatching the damned phone from his hands and flinging it against a wall. The tears ran more freely now.

How could he have slept with Tanya? How could he have thought that an 'I love you' would solve everything. My stomach convulsed when I thought of him and Tanya. They were both exceedingly beautiful. Yeah. But Tanya…she was as much to blame here as Edward. I mean. She knew I liked him. A bit. But still. How could she have broken girl code like that? The stairs seemed to go on forever. I sank into one of the top steps and pressed my forehead into my knees. Mom had always said 'Write your feelings down somewhere. Paper takes anger the best.'….I had actually read it in one of her journals.

So I started writing...and by the end of it, I knew I was overreacting. I didn't have any proof that that was what had happened. I had no idea of what had _actually _happened. Edward had been completely right about getting his phone back from her house. It was important to him. His job depended upon it. Tanya was a really good friend. Sweet. Friendly. True. Sigh, stupid Bella. I really wanted to forget the whole incident. I wanted to hug him and say 'ts ok'. But I didn't move. I was too shocked, too worried and most of all upset that he hadn't come after me by now. My head felt heavy. Somehow through all the pain and the misery I fell asleep. But even in my dreams he didn't let me relax. He didn't leave me alone. He was there staring at me with his emeralds, smiling his angelic smile, his eyes smoldering. I sighed, giving in to his smile. Sleeping peacefully…on the stairs.

….

I heard a loud crash. Whoa! I jumped up and my foot banged on the railing. I muttered curses under my breath nursing my foot. It was red. I was still on the stairs. For a moment I wondered how I got to the stairs and then it all came rushing back to me. I almost smiled at my sheer stupidity.I turned my gaze to the windows. It was morning. Whoa. I had slept a lot. My head was still heavy. And it was raining outside now. The wind was mild. But it was still there. I shivered as a gust blew in through the half open windows. I had time and again told my dad that I didn't need them. But he had insisted. Windows were for safety. And these windows were big. But not too big. I sighed and reached up to shut them but then decided against it. Something about doing that made me feel guilty. Probably about my dad.

The crash…Yes…I had to investigate. Maybe the neighbor's cat had gotten in again and had knocked one of my precious ceramic jugs down. I started walking faster. I hated that cat. God! Couldn't they take better care of their pets? Sometimes I wondered whether they didn't give the cat enough milk. Ok..jugs..cats. Damage should be avoided. The hall was clean. Something that surprised me. The hall was one part of my house that I hated to see dirty but today. It was spotless. Shining everywhere. Or maybe my brain wasn't seeing things properly. I swiftly turned into the kitchen and the sight nearly turned my heart into jelly.

Edward…was standing near the counter with his head covered in flour. I didn't know whether to laugh or to adore his cuteness.

"What happened in here?" I asked in the most emotionless voice I could manage. The mild twinkle in his eyes faded. He didn't reply. I sighed and crossed my arms. He looked hurt almost.

"Well? I want an answer. Why did you ruin my kitchen?" I said making sure to emphasize on the 'my'…His eyes widened a tiny bit. I fought back a giggle at his bewildered expression.

"I was….trying to make pancakes." He said his eyes down. I stifled another laugh. I didn't know why. But my anger had melted overnight. It was a shadow now. Of course it had taken effort. I had had to convince myself about his innocence and my idiocy.

"Why did you break the milk jug for that?" I asked catching sight of my favorite ceramic jug on the floor…only, it was in pieces. He looked upset. I stifled another laugh.

"I was trying to open the packet of flour. And I slipped. I tried putting it back on the counter as I fell…But turned out my calculations weren't correct. I knocked the milk jug over and the flour came and emptied most of itself over me and the jug….it broke." He said in embarrassedly. His eyes cast down. I felt a tiny bit upset for playing with him.

"Its…sigh….you should be more careful next time." I said, again in a monotone. He looked better.

The jug…had to be cleaned from my kitchen floor of course…I lifted an eyebrow at him. He stared and then bent over starting to pick up the pieces. So cute. I sighed. It was now or never. But I really wanted to play with him a little more. I smiled. And then slowly walked out of the room as though he didn't exist. Play time my Edward. My smile widened.

**EPOV**

I watched her out of the corner of my eye. She seemed really mad. Her manner was not impolite but it was strained. Like she didn't wanna waste her time talking to me but she did all the same. It hurt. Like hell. Her brown eyes seemed normal. But I could see that she was angry. Her actions. I emptied the pieces into the bin. They clattered down into the empty dustbin. I sighed. My fault. All my fault. Why did I have to go back and meet Tanya?...

I walked out of the kitchen after cleaning up. Bella was seated on the front porch. She had changed. She was now wearing a red tee with black capris. She looked so pretty. So angelic. Her hair was soft and shiny. Even looking at her brought me to peace. She was so calm all the time. I settled down on the couch. Facing her. She brushed her hair away from her face. I noticed that her hair was pulled up into a messy pony. How I wanted to pull the rubber band away and let her hair frame her face like it did normally. Her flawless skin seemed to…glow in the sunlight. I stared at her. She looked the same. The same way she did when I first met her. Killing her was out of question. I couldn't even dream of it. So hard. I'd rather die. I cursed myself. Even if Bella loved me…How could I live with the guilt of killing so many people? How would I hide all that from her? How could I even imagine a normal life with her? She was an innocent small town girl. Who probably had not seen too much of the big world we shared. She wouldn't know that her boyfriend was an ex-murderer. Or her husband was an ex murderer who was wanted for so many murders. I flinched at the word 'husband'. Bella would probably move on. She would get married to a guy who didn't have all this dirt piled up on his bed. Someone who really deserved her. Bella and I didn't have anything even _close_ to a future together. I sighed.

My eyes closed. A deep breath. I could see us, Bella and me, sitting on the chairs in the front porch. Only both of us were older. Her hand holding mine, her smile, full and happy, her cheeks just as rosy as ever. But the happy scene was clouded by a bloodcurdling picture. Blood. Bella. A weeping me. A smiling James. I felt like pounding James' face into pulp. His evil grin made my pulse thud erratically.

I stifled a sob and buried my face in my hands.

Why did life have to be so difficult? Why me? Why Bella? Why couldn't we have a normal life? The weight of it all fell upon me. Hard and fast. It was too much to bear. For that instant. I remembered my next door neighbor, her sweet smile, pretty blond hair. She had been a dear old lady. My mom used to say. We used to have Sunday night dinners together. I hadn't really noticed her much back then. My head used to revolve around my parents. My mother. Oh god. I felt my killer instincts coming back. His eyes. Those goddamn black eyes. Ugh. It was my father's fault. All his fault.

I jumped up from the couch. The anger was too much. The frustration. I made it to my room without too much trouble. My eyes were wet. My tee drenched in sweat. I changed into a new tshirt and strapped on my watch. I had to get out of here. Until the rage evaporated. Too keep Bella safe from a killer.

…

I jogged down the dirt path. My brain working furiously. I had come out from the back door, jumped over the wall and finally I was here, wherever that was. My hands were in fists. Finally when I was sure I was in the middle of nowhere. I stopped. I let the memories crush me. My mother. The lady next door. Their tortured faces. The hungered face of that _Dog._ I shivered. His eyes haunted me. Till now. I screamed. The sound ripping through the silence. I could hear the gurgle of a stream somewhere nearby. I wanted to drown myself in it.

"THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED DAD! ARE YOU HAPPY? YOUR F***** STUPIDITY IS WHAT CAUSED ALL THIS! DO YOU GET THAT? ITS YOUR DAMN FAULT THAT MOM IS DEAD!..." My voice broke. My next few words consisted mostly of cussing.

I sank into the ground. Why was this coming out now? I hadn't thought of my _father_ in years. Even though I had been only fifteen back then, I remembered everything with clarity. Almost like it had happened only yesterday. The wrenching pain in my stomach was fresh in my memory. The scar was gone now. But I could still feel the pain. I traced my finger along the my stomach where the scar had been.

My head felt like it was about to burst. I sighed. There were storm clouds in the sky. But they didn't matter. I lay down on the ground, trying to regain consciousness. Trying to make sense of my new found feelings. Trying to make my heart see sense. But the weight was too much. Too hard. Too heavy. For once I succumbed to it and it crashed down upon me. The ground was hard but compared to my weight it was like a bed of roses. I sighed deeply. The burden tossed me around. Grinded me. Grilled me. I let it. I let it. I didn't fight. I let the memories take me.

…

The first few drops were like caressing fingers. I leaned towards them. But it was too hard. My body felt like lead. I opened my eyes. The sky was pitch black. And there was lightning flashing. I pushed myself into a rough sitting position. My back was hurting from lying down on the ground for so long. My head felt like it had been rolled down a cliff hundred times. I struggled to my feet. My head spun. I stumbled a little before I regained my balance. I had to get home. Home to my Bella. I had to be with her. I needed her like a drug. I realized how badly she'd changed me but I didn't resent the change. I loved Bella. I love her. My steps became faster. I didn't want to face my inner monster again. I needed Bella. I wanted her soft fingers on my cheeks. I wanted her to tell me that everything was okay. I wanted to tell her everything regardless of what she would think of me. I wanted to tell her the wretched monster I had become because of my filthy father. I changed the direction of my thoughts almost instantly. I couldn't afford to collapse again.

I felt my will strengthening. I walked faster. My Bella must be waiting. I smiled softly. My sweet Bella.

…..

Finally. I reached the dirt path. I didn't know in which direction to head now. But luckily for me I met someone I knew. Not necessarily liked. But I knew him. I stared at the car that was coming down along the road.

"Edward right?" he asked. His black eyes scrunching up to see me. I didn't get offended. I probably looked a fright. I nodded grimly. His black eyes studied me. And finally he opened the door and let me get in. I got inside mildly worried about dirtying the seats.

The inside of the red Volkswagen was warm. I heaved a small sigh of relief. I looked at Jacob's face. He seemed reluctant to let me inside. I didn't mind. It wasn't like I was dying to be inside either.

"What were you doing here?" he asked me curiously. His black eyes wandering over my face. I shrugged. "Felt like a jog. Got lost I guess. I fell asleep. These areas are killers. I had no idea it would become so dark" I added conversationally.

"Hmmm…You are wet." he stated. Looking at his seat with worry. I rolled my eyes. Okay. Now I was not worried. I mumbled a half baked apology.

"I think I would know I am wet by now considering I was caught in the rain." I said gruffly. He cracked a grin. His brilliant white teeth stood out against his skin. I grimaced. What did Bella see in him again?

Turned out I had run a longer distance than I had thought. It took us nearly half an hour to get back home. I realized that Jacob and I had not said anything else to each other after the initial few exchanges. I didn't care. The lesser the better. I didn't like him. He didn't like me. I didn't see why we should pretend that we were getting along for no obvious reason.

We finally reached Bella's driveway. I smiled slightly and got out of the car. He got out as well. Both of us made our way through the rain to the front door. The entire walk was through ankle deep water. The light was on. Bella hadn't slept. I rang the bell. There was a click and the door swung open. Bella stood there with her eyes wide. She was wearing her pajamas. And here eyes were worried. The moment she saw me. She exclaimed, "Edward!"

Before I knew it I was in her arms. She seemed to be crying. I hugged her back in spite of being dirty and wet. She was warm and she smelled of strawberries. The most calming smell I had ever experienced. I inhaled deeply.

"You idiot. I was so worried. I thought something had happened to you. Oh Edward. Are you okay? Thank god Jacob was on patrol. How could you run off like that? Dumbass….." and it went on and on and on. But I didn't hear much of it. I was too busy smiling like an idiot.

I didn't try to stop her. Jacob looked a little scared. I nodded at him. He nodded back and in a minute Bella and I were alone. Jacob had left. I smiled and pressed her closer to me. She smelled like strawberries and vanilla. I inhaled deeply again. Such a delicious smell.

"Aren't you supposed to be mad at me? " I asked cheekily. Her eyes flashed and then she went back to cleaning me up. She seemed normal now. Her eyes were full of her cheerful personality and she didn't seem angry or offended.

"Of course I am…" She said looking at me with careful eyes. I raised an eyebrow and moved my hand in between us indicating our proximity. She blushed. We were inches apart. I sighed. Her blush was so beautiful. She looked so much more beautiful when she blushed.

"Bella…" I said looking into her eyes. She looked up. Her chocolate eyes were filled with embarrassment. I raised a hand and ran my thumb along her cheek bone. So soft.

She was blushing again. I smiled.

"Edward…." She mumbled. I could barely hear her.

Her eyes were half closed. This indicated incoherency, or so I had learned from my previous…experiences.

I leaned in….

Her arms raised. And all of a sudden, we were molded. We broke apart for an instant and I stared into her eyes. They answered my unasked question. I lifted her into my arms.

"My Bella…"

**A/N: I am so so so so sorry! Its been ages since** **I have updated. Please review. :)**


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